Influence of magma-poor versus magma-rich passive margins on subduction initiation

Rifting, lithosphere breakup and volcanism: Comparison of magma-poor and volcanic rifted margins

Influence of non-Newtonian rheology on magma degassing

Many volcanoes exhibit temporal changes in their degassing process, from rapid gas puffing to lava fountaining and long-lasting quiescent passive degassing periods. This range of behaviors has been explained in terms of changes in gas flux and/or magma input rate. We report here a simple laboratory experiment which shows that the nonNewtonian rheology of magma can be responsible, alone, for suc...

Eruptible magma.

For those who remember the classic disaster-docudrama Supervolcano (BBC-Discovery Channel 2005), the adjective “eruptible” is likely to ring a bell. Set in the near future and generally quite scientifically literate, the movie envisions volcanologists trying desperately to evaluate the near-term threat posed by the giant Yellowstone magmatic system. At the heart of their mission, and of the dra...

Magma ocean influence on early atmosphere mass and composition

Redox conditions in magma oceans (MOs) have a key influence on the mass and composition of Earth’s early atmosphere. If the shallow part of the MO is oxidized, it may be overlain by an H2O–CO2 atmosphere, but if the near-surface magma is close to equilibrium with Fe-rich alloy, then the atmosphere will consist chiefly of H2, H2O, and CO, and on cooling will be rich in CH4. Although MOs are inti...

Mushy magma beneath Yellowstone

[1] A recent prospective on the Yellowstone Caldera discounts its explosive potential based on inferences from tomographic studies which suggests a high degree of crystallization of the underlying magma body. In this study, we show that many of the first teleseismic P-wave arrivals observed at seismic stations on the edge of the caldera did not travel through the magma body but have taken longe...