Melt production and magma emplacement: What use are they?

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I will review the processes of melt production and magma emplacement and address two questions: how do these processes affect planetary evolution?; and what can we learn from observing them, both now and in the future? Melt production is primarily controlled by the temperature of the planetary interior. The extraction of melt from silicate mantles has a number of effects. Firstly, it advects heat (e.g. Io, Venus?). Secondly, it segregates radiogenic materials into the crust, thus cooling the mantle (e.g. Mars, Earth). Thirdly, it removes volatiles from the interior (e.g. Venus, Mars). Recognition that melting is occurring gives us information about likely conditions inside the planet. Models of melt generation by convective upwelling have been used to constrain the interior properties of the Earth, Venus and Mars. Melting during tidal heating (Io) or accretion is less well understood. Magma emplacement is primarily controlled by the density of the magma and the surrounding material. Extrusive activity is likely for high volatile concentrations or low crustal densities. Water is particularly difficult to erupt, since (unlike silicates) the melt is denser than the solid. Different styles of magma emplacement are observed: voluminous surface flows and volcanic edifices of various kinds (ubiquitous); giant radiating dyke swarms (Earth, Venus, Mars); intrusive sills and diapirs (Earth, Venus?, Mars?, Europa?). The extrusive emplacement of magma will cause resurfacing, and is thus easily detected. The release of volatiles during emplacement may have local (e.g. Laki) or global (Venus? Mars?) effects on climate and atmosphere. Intrusive emplacement is harder to detect, but may interact with local volatiles to create unusual landforms (Earth, Mars). The style and volume of emplacement is a useful diagnostic tool. The morphology of lava flows gives information about the rheology and composition of the flow material (e.g. Venus, Miranda). Observations of dykes may be used to infer both lava properties (e.g. Earth, Mars), and the regional stress state. Inferred eruption rates may be used to constrain interior dynamics. The location and nature of emplacement gives information about the shallow structure of the crust, which may be compared with observations of crustal thickness and density from gravity and topography (Moon, Mars).

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