Basaltic magmas that form the oceanic crust of Earth are generated in the asthenosphere at a depth of about 70 kilometres. The mantle rocks located at depths from about 70 to 200 kilometres are believed to exist at temperatures slightly above their melting point, and…

…hot, and vast volumes of basaltic magma pond beneath it, forcing it to arch up and crack. Magma invades the cracks, and the process of continental rifting, ultimately leading to seafloor spreading, begins. This model implies that supercontinents have built-in obsolescence and can exist only for so long before the…

The rising subduction-zone magma is probably basaltic in composition and is formed by the partial melting of mantle rocks. As the rising magma moves slowly up through the continental crust of the overriding plate, however, two things may occur to increase significantly the silica content of the magma.…