Modeling the Viscosity of Anhydrous and Hydrous Volcanic Melts

Viscosity of hydrous rhyolitic melts inferred from kinetic experiments, and a new viscosity model

Viscosity of hydrous silicate melts is essential in modeling the dynamics of magma transport and volcanic eruptions. Numerous experimental measurements of viscosity, as well as viscosity models, have been published. For general melt compositions, the classic models of either Bottinga and Weill (1972) or Shaw (1972) are still used, not because they are reliable, but because of the extreme diffic...

Hydrous components in the nominally anhydrous minerals

Hydrous components in the nominally anhydrous minerals were first of significance for their impact on the mechanical strength of minerals and on the dielectric properties of synthetic materials. They are now known to influence a large number of chemical and physical properties of the host mineral and are thought to be an important contribution to the Earth’s water cycle. Detection, and concentr...

Viscosity and Anelasticity of Melts

is the Maxwell relaxation time [24]. This relaxation time is a convenient approximation to the timescale of deformation where the transition from purely viscous behavior to purely elastic behavior occurs. The purely viscous response of a silicate melt is termed “liquid” behavior whereas the purely elastic response is termed “glassy” behavior. The term silicate melt is used to describe molten si...

Velocity crossover between hydrous and anhydrous forsterite at high pressures

Silicate Melt Properties and Volcanic Eruptions

[1] Knowledge about the properties of silicate melts is needed by volcanologists and petrologists to evaluate the dynamics of volcanic eruptions and magmatic processes. These properties include the solubility and diffusivity of volatile components in silicate melts, silicate melt viscosity, and the fragmentation condition. Data and models of each property are reviewed and assessed. For rhyoliti...