Anelasticity and viscosity of partially molten rock analogue: Toward seismic detection of small quantities of melt

[1] Anelasticity and diffusion creep viscosity of partially molten rock analogue were measured experimentally at various melt fractions (0.0025–0.04). The presence of even a small quantity of melt phase causes a significant increase in attenuation and dispersion, and decrease in viscosity (melt effect). Similar changes are additionally caused by the presence of a secondary solid component (chemical effect). The similitude that was observed in the anelasticity of melt‐ free systems when scaled by the Maxwell frequency for temperature and grain size effects was observed, too, in that of melt‐bearing systems when scaled by the Maxwell frequency for melt and chemical effects. The combined melt and chemical effects on anelasticity offer a potential means of identifying small quantities of melt with seismic velocity perturbations. Citation: McCarthy, C., and Y. Takei (2011), Anelasticity and viscosity of partially molten rock analogue: Toward seismic detection of small quantities of melt, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L18306, doi:10.1029/2011GL048776.