Electrical conductivity of hydrous andesitic melts pertinent to subduction zones

Abstract

AbstractAndesitic magmatism and rocks are widespread at convergent plate boundaries. Electrically conductive bodies beneath subduction zone arc volcanoes, such as the Uturuncu Volcano, Bolivia, may correspond to active reservoirs of H2O‐bearing andesitic magma. Laboratory measurements of electrical conductivity of hydrous andesitic melts are required to constrain the physicochemical conditions of these magma reservoirs in combination with magnetotelluric data. This experimental study investigates electrical conductivity of andesitic melts with 0.01–5.9 wt % of H2O at 1164–1573 K and 0.5–1.0 GPa in a piston cylinder apparatus using sweeping‐frequency impedance spectroscopy. Electrical conductivity of andesitic melt increases with increasing temperature and H2O concentration but decreases with pressure. Across the investigated range of H2O concentration, electrical conductivity varies by 1.2–2.4 log units, indicating stronger influence of H2O for andesitic melt than for rhyolitic and dacitic melts. Using the Nernst‐Einstein equation, the principal charge carrier is inferred to be Na in anhydrous melt but divalent cations in hydrous andesitic melts. The experimental data are regressed into a general electrical conductivity model for andesitic melt accounting for the pressure‐temperature‐H2O dependences altogether. Modeling results show that the conductive layer at >20 km depths beneath the surface of the Uturuncu Volcano could be interpreted by the presence of less than 20 vol % of H2O‐rich andesitic melt (with 6–9 wt % H2O).