Consequences of crystal shape and fabric on anisotropic permeability in magmatic mush

Crystals that form an interconnected porous network can become preferentially oriented both prior to and during compaction of magmatic mush. This introduces anisotropy in the melt pore-space that can reduce permeability in the direction of compaction and in turn decrease melt flux and compaction rate. Using a number of grain-scale numerical models, the consequences of end-member magmatic fabrics on the directional dependence of permeability are tested over a range in melt fraction from 22 to 77%. As the crystal aspect ratio (i.e. ratio of long to short axis length) increases from 2 to 10, isotropic permeability decreases by a factor of 2 and 5 for randomly oriented prolate and oblate-shaped crystals, respectively, at a melt fraction of 22%. With a flattening fabric, permeability is reduced in the compaction direction no more than approximately a factor of 2 relative to the isotropic permeability at the same melt fraction and crystal shape for both oblate and triaxial prisms. However, permeability is enhanced in directions orthogonal to the compaction direction. For example, permeability is enhanced up to a factor of 11 relative to the isotropic permeability at a melt fraction of 22% for oblate prisms with a ratio of the long to short axis length of 10. Anisotropy in permeability increases as the melt fraction decreases and the crystal aspect ratio increases. Ratios of the principal permeabilities are sufficiently large based on the realistic crystal shapes tested here to warrant including anisotropic permeability into macroscale melt segregation models including those for compaction.