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Solid Earth
The Boycott effect in magma chambers
Article first published online: 10 MAR 2004
DOI: 10.1029/2003GL019235
Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, , and (2004), The Boycott effect in magma chambers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L05611, doi:10.1029/2003GL019235.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 10 MAR 2004
- Article first published online: 10 MAR 2004
- Manuscript Accepted: 11 FEB 2004
- Manuscript Revised: 1 FEB 2004
- Manuscript Received: 18 DEC 2003
[1] We investigate the plausibility of the stratified Boycott effect as a source of layering in magma chambers. Crystal settling within the magma chamber will generate buoyant fluid near the sloping sidewalls whose vertical ascent may be limited by the ambient stratification associated with vertical gradients in SiO2. The resulting flow may be marked by a layered structure, each layer taking the form of a convection cell spanning the lateral extent of the magma chamber. Using parameters relevant to magma chambers, we estimate that such convection cells would be established over a timescale of a month and have a depth on the order of 4m, which is roughly consistent with field observations of strata within solidified chambers.