RESEARCH FOCUS: The geodynamics of mantle melting

Petrological Geodynamics of Mantle Melting II. AlphaMELTS + Multiphase Flow: Dynamic Fractional Melting

In this second installment of a series that aims to investigate the dynamic interaction between the composition and abundance of the solid mantle and its melt products, the classic interpretation of fractional melting is extended to account for the dynamic nature of the process. A multiphase numerical flow model is coupled with the program AlphaMELTS, which provides at the moment possibly the m...

Petrological Geodynamics of Mantle Melting I. AlphaMELTS + Multiphase Flow: Dynamic Equilibrium Melting, Method and Results

Simple scaling relations in geodynamics; the role of pressure in geodynamics and mantle convection

Mantle flow, melting, and dehydration of the Iceland mantle plume

Recent studies have shown that the extraction of water from the mantle due to partial melting beneath mid-ocean ridges may increase the viscosity of the residuum by 2–3 orders of magnitude. We examine this rheological effect on mantle flow and melting of a ridge-centered mantle plume using three-dimensional numerical models. Results indicate that the viscosity increase associated with dehydrati...

Isentropic Melting Processes in the Mantle

Batch melting of ascending mantle can be approximated as an isentropic process, since on the time scale of melting heat flow into or out of source regions will typically be negligible and the process is slow enough to be close to reversible. Similarly, fractional fusion can be idealized as a series of incremental isentropic melting steps, although the entropy of the residue decreases in each st...