Università Roma Tre

Structure of silicate melts. Effect of temperature pressure and composition of the structural configuration of silicate melts. Glass transition temperature and relaxation times.
Chemical and physical properties of magma: density, viscosity, volatile solubility, diffusivity, compressibility and electrical conductivities of magmas. Termodynamic properties of magmas: enthalpy, entropy and heat capacity. Effect of chemical composition, temperature and pressure on the density and viscosity of magmas. The influence of degassing crystallization and deformation regime on the rheological properties of magmas.
Control of the physical and chemical properties on the ascent of magma and on the eruptive style of volcanoes.
Magma ascent: Nucleation and growth of bubbles. Crystallization processes. Fragmentation criteria and magma explosivity. Evolution of physical parameters of magma and flow dynamics during magma ascent
Lava flows: Types of lava flows and rheological control of lava flow geometry. Lava flow motion and effects of ground slope.
Explosive eruptions: Influence of physical parameters on eruptive styles. Steady explosive eruptions: eruption plumes formation. Fallout of clasts from eruption plumes and unstable eruption columns. Formation of piroclastic density currents.
The course will include laboratory activities for the experimental determination of physical-chemical properties of magmas (high temperature experiments and spectroscopic measurements) and numerical exercises aimed at the quantitative determination of the textural parameters of iuvenile products (cristallinity, vesicularity, crystal and bubble size distribution) and at the numerical simulation of the conduit and eruptive dynamics.

FUNDAMENTAL OF PHYSICAL VOLCANOLOGY. ELISABETH A. PARFITT AND LIONEL WILSON. BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
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