Rheological Transitions During Partial Melting and Crystallization with Application to Felsic Magma Segregation and Transfer

We consider the rheological behaviour of felsic magma in thezone of partial melting and during subsequent crystallization.We also introduce and combine concepts (mushy zone, percolationtheory, granular flow, shear localization) derived from thenon-geological literature and apply them to field observationson migmatites and granites. Segregation and transportation offelsic magmas is commonly observed in association with non-coaxialdeformation, suggesting that gravity forces have limited influenceduring magma segregation. Solid to liquid and liquid to solidtransitions are shown to be rheologically different, which infirmsthe concept of a unique rheological critical melt percentagefor both transitions. Four stages are examined, which dependon the melt fraction present. (1) A minimum of 8% melt by volume must first be produced toovercome the liquid percolation threshold (LPT) above whichmelt pockets can connect, thus allowing local magma displacement.Transport of the liquid phase is amplified by deformation towarddilatant sinks and is restricted to a very local scale. Thiscorresponds to partially molten domains illustrated by incipientmigmatites. (2) When more melt (20–25%) is present, a melt escapethreshold (MET) allows segregation and transport of the meltand part of the residual solid phase, over large distances.This corresponds to segregation and transfer of magma towardsthe upper crust. (3) Segregation of magma also occurs during granite emplacementand crystallization. In a flowing magma containing few particles(20%), particles rotate independently within the flow, defininga fabric. As soon as sufficient crystals are formed, they interactto construct a rigid skeleton. Such a random loose packed frameworkinvolves 55% solids and corresponds to the rigid percolationthreshold (RPT). Above the RPT, clusters of particles can sustainstress, and the liquid fraction can still flow. The only remainingpossibilities for rearranging particles are local shear zones,often within the intrusion rim, which, as a consequence, developsdilatancy. This stage of segregation during crystallizationis totally different from that of magma segregation during incipientmelting. (4) Finally, the system becomes totally locked when random closepacking is reached, at 72–75% solidification; this isthe particle locking threshold (PLT). The introduction of four thresholds must be viewed in the contextof a two-fold division of the cycle that generates igneous rocks,first involving a transition from solid to liquid (i.e. partialmelting) and then a transition from liquid to solid (i.e. crystallization).Neither transition is simply the reverse of the other. In thecase of melting, pockets of melt have to be connected to afforda path to escaping magma. This is a bond-percolation, in thesense of physical percoloation theory. In the case of crystallization,randomly distributed solid particles mechanically interact,and contacts between them can propagate forces. Building a crystalframework is a site-percolation, for which the threshold ishigher than that of bond-percolation. For each transition twothresholds are applicable. The present approach, which basicallydiffers from that based on a unique critical melt fraction,expands and clarifies the idea of a first and a second percolationthreshold. One threshold in each transition (LPT and RPT, respectively)corresponds to a percolation threshold in the sense of physicalpercolation theory. Its value is independent of external forces,but relies on the type and abundance of minerals forming thematrix within which melt connectivity is developing. The exactvalue of the second threshold (MET or PLT) will vary accordingto external forces, such as deformation and the particle shape. KEY WORDS: migmatites; partial melting; granites; magma segregation; magma solidification ^*Corresponding author. Telephone: 33 03 83 44 19 00. Fax: 33 03 83 44 00 29. e-mail: jlv{at}cregu.cnrs-nancy.fr