What is gabbro?
Q: What is gabbro?
A: Gabbro is a group of dark, coarse-grained, plutonic igneous rocks that are chemically equivalent to basalt.
Q: How is gabbro formed?
A: Gabbro is formed when molten magma is trapped under the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass.
Q: Where is gabbro found on the Earth's surface?
A: Gabbro is found mostly in the oceanic crust, produced by basalt magmatism at mid-ocean ridges.
Q: What lies above the Earth's mantle and below the basalt when gabbro is formed?
A: When gabbro is formed, it lies above the Earth's mantle and below the basalt.
Q: What is the texture of gabbro?
A: Gabbro is generally coarse-grained, with crystals in the size range of 1 mm or greater.
Q: Why is gabbro an essential part of the oceanic crust?
A: Gabbro is an essential part of the oceanic crust because most of the Earth's surface has gabbro in the oceanic crust.
Q: Where are long belts of gabbro intrusions typically formed?
A: Long belts of gabbro intrusions are typically formed at proto-rift zones and around ancient rift zone margins.
