| Abstract: | In laboratory experiments designed to model lava flow processes, liquid polyethylene glycol wax is forced through either a small hole or a long narrow slit onto the base of a tank of cold water, where it spreads laterally while cooling and solidifying at its surface. We observe the surface structure of the flow, and its dependence on the flow rate, thermal conditions and basal roughness. In each case, solidification of a crust during spreading gives rise to a number of different surface morphologies, each of which forms under a restricted range of conditions. The dominant morphologies, referred to as “pillows”, “rifts”, transverse folds, and marginal levees, correspond to features observed on natural lava flows. Results for radial spreading over a rough base and for spreading in two directions from the line source over both smooth and rough bases complement those reported earlier for radial spreading of solidifying wax from a point source on a smooth base. Together they indicate a robust dependence of morphology on the distance from the vent at which solid crust begins to form. This distance is, in turn, determined by the extrusion rate, the rheology of the liquid wax (or magma), the reduced gravity, the magnitude of the surface heat flux, and the amount of cooling required to solidify the flow surface. The results also indicate factors influencing the distribution of crust and its deformation, and may provide a means by which observations of surface morphology can be used to place constraints on the emplacement conditions of lava flows. |
