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Abstract Persistent volcanic activity is thought to be linked to degassing, but volatile transport at depth cannot be observed directly. Instead, we rely on indirect constraints, such as CO2‐H2O concentrations in melt inclusions trapped at different depth, but this data is rarely straight‐forward to interpret. In this study, we integrate a multiscale conduit‐flow model for non‐eruptive conditions and a volatile‐concentration model to compute synthetic profiles of volatile concentrations for different flow conditions and CO2fluxing. We find that actively segregating bubbles in the flow enhance the mixing of volatile‐poor and volatile‐rich magma in vertical conduit segments, even if the radius of these bubbles is several orders of magnitude smaller than the width of the conduit. This finding suggests that magma mixing is common in volcanic systems when magma viscosities are low enough to allow for bubble segregation as born out by our comparison with melt‐inclusion data: Our simulations show that even a small degree of mixing leads to volatile concentration profiles that are much more comparable to observations than either open‐ or closed‐system degassing trends for both Stromboli and Mount Erebus. Our results also show that two of the main processes affecting observed volatile concentrations, magma mixing and CO2fluxing, leave distinct observational signatures, suggesting that tracking them jointly could help better constrain changes in conduit flow. We argue that disaggregating melt‐inclusion data based on the eruptive behavior at the time could advance our understanding of how conduit flow changes with eruptive regimes.
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VESIcal: 2. A Critical Approach to Volatile Solubility Modeling Using an Open‐Source Python3 Engine
Abstract Accurate models of H2O and CO2solubility in silicate melts are vital for understanding volcanic plumbing systems. These models are used to estimate the depths of magma storage regions from melt inclusion volatile contents, investigate the role of volatile exsolution as a driver of volcanic eruptions, and track the degassing path followed by a magma ascending to the surface. However, despite the large increase in the number of experimental constraints over the last two decades, many recent studies still utilize an earlier generation of models which were calibrated on experimental datasets with restricted compositional ranges. This may be because many of the available tools for more recent models require large numbers of input parameters to be hand‐typed (e.g., temperature, concentrations of H2O, CO2, and 8–14 oxides), making them difficult to implement on large datasets. Here, we use a new open‐source Python3 tool, VESIcal, to critically evaluate the behaviors and sensitivities of different solubility models for a range of melt compositions. Using literature datasets of andesitic‐dacitic experimental products and melt inclusions as case studies, we illustrate the importance of evaluating the calibration dataset of each model. Finally, we highlight the limitations of particular data presentation methods, such as isobar diagrams, and provide suggestions for alternatives, and best practices regarding the presentation and archiving of data. This review will aid the selection of the most applicable solubility model for different melt compositions, and identifies areas where additional experimental constraints on volatile solubility are required.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1948862
- PAR ID:
- 10366378
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Earth and Space Science
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2333-5084
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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