Abstract
Silicate melts, physically mobile and chemically active, are a crucial means for the transfer of matter and heat in the Earth and plausibly other terrestrial planets. They have played a key role in petrologic and geodynamic processes throughout the formation and evolution of Earth’s internal spheres. To understand geological phenomena related to partial melting of the crust and the mantle (such as deep magmatism and volcanic eruption), it is a prerequisite to gain good knowledge of the physicochemical properties of various silicate melts at high temperature (HT) and/or high pressure (HP). Physicochemical properties of silicate melts fall into two categories, namely thermodynamic properties (including thermodynamic state functions and equilibrium constants of homogeneous reactions) and kinetic properties (including transport properties and rate constants of homogenous reactions). In the study of melt properties, major progress has been made in recent years with respect to HP-HT experimental and analytical techniques, computational methods (in particular simulations using first-principles molecular dynamics), theoretical modeling, as well as the relationship between the macroscopic properties and microscopic structure of silicate melts. Combined with geophysical and geochemical observations, the advances in the study of melt properties have substantially improved our understanding of the conditions and processes in the Earth’s interior. This paper presents a review on the contemporary developments in this field, some examples of important application, and a discussion of future directions.
Published Version
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