Final answer:
Bowen's Reaction Series is a model that describes the sequence of mineral crystallization from cooling magma and is crucial for understanding igneous rock formation and temperature history.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bowen's Reaction Series is a conceptual model that describes the orderly pattern in which minerals crystallize from cooling magma based on their melting points. Geologist Norman L. Bowen developed it in the early 20th century. Essentially, as magma cools, minerals crystallize in a predictable sequence. The series is divided into two branches: the discontinuous branch, starting with olivine and moving to pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite, and the continuous branch, involving the evolution of plagioclase from calcium-rich to sodium-rich compositions. The importance of Bowen's Reaction Series lies in its utility for understanding the mineral composition of igneous rocks and gauging the temperature history of the rock formation. It also allows geologists to predict the mineralogy of igneous rocks when given enough information about the rock composition and the conditions under which the rock formed. As for the activity series mentioned, it is a separate concept relevant to Chemistry.