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Science 10 November 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5801, p. 889
DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5801.889a
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This Week in Science

Figure 1 How molten magma and other geophysical fluids move through rocks is a basic question in geology. Schiano et al. (p. 970; see the Perspective by Holness) show that when driven by a temperature gradient, a silicate melt can move through the lattice structure of olivine but gas-rich fluid inclusions do not. The melt migrates within the mineral matrix instead of along crystal edges in a series of progressive dissolution and recrystallization steps. This process is controlled by interface kinetics and not chemical diffusion. In contrast, bubbles of gas-rich fluids remain stuck and do not migrate. Thus, transcrystalline migration is faster than intergranular porous flow at all melt fractions less than 0.1% and allows for grain-scale percolation and segregation of early mantle melts that have a low degree of melting.

CREDIT: LABORATOIRE PIERRE SÜE




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