All Images
News Release 13-002
Magma in Earth's Mantle Forms Deeper Than Once Thought
Study simulating pressures in mantle beneath the ocean floor shows that rocks can melt at depths up to 250 kilometers
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
When magma reaches Earth's surface and erupts from a volcano, it becomes lava.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (2.3 MB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Magma generation seen from a cross-section of Earth's interior beneath oceanic ridges.
Credit: Dasgupta Group/Rice University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (924 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Peridotite is a pale green olive-colored rock derived from Earth's mantle.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (146 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Microscopic sample of rock in a high-pressure lab; it shows evidence of magma formation.
Credit: Dasgupta Group/Rice University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (610 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Geologist Rajdeep Dasgupta uses hydraulic presses to crush rocks at high pressures.
Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (1.7 MB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
Scientists Rajdeep Dasgupta, Ananya Mallik and Kyusei Tsuno at work in the lab.
Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (1.7 MB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.