Melt infiltration and magma evolution

Research Article| May 01, 1982 Melt infiltration and magma evolution E. Bruce Watson E. Bruce Watson 1Department of Geology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12181 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information E. Bruce Watson 1Department of Geology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12181 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1982) 10 (5): 236–240. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1982)10<236:MIAME>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation E. Bruce Watson; Melt infiltration and magma evolution. Geology 1982;; 10 (5): 236–240. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1982)10<236:MIAME>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Surface-energy considerations can be used to show that a magma body in chemical and thermal equilibrium with its surroundings will tend to disperse by infiltrating the dry grain edges of the host material. This prediction was tested in a series of "melt infiltration" experiments on a simplified basalt-peridotite analog system (forsterite-albite-anorthite). At 1290 °C and 10 kb, a melt of ∼ Fo23Ab38An39 composition penetrates the grain edges of poly-crystalline forsterite "rock" at a rate of 1 to 2 mm/day. The infiltration mechanism probably involves chemical solution of forsterite at grain edges and simultaneous precipitation of forsterite crystals within the melt reservoir. The term "chemical sloping" is proposed to describe the operation of this process in nature, and although it may have little influence on the major-element composition of magmas, it may be effective as a zone-refining mechanism.The intergranular "mobility" of magmatic liquid in near-solidus country rock implies that (1) silicate melts may be important metasomatizing fluids under some circumstances in the upper mantle, and (2) small dikes and veins are unstable in hot surroundings and will disperse by infiltrating their wall rocks. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.