Insights into magma ocean dynamics from the transport properties of basaltic melt

Suraj K. Bajgain (), Aaron Wolfgang Ashley, Mainak Mookherjee (), Dipta B. Ghosh and Bijaya B. Karki ()
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Suraj K. Bajgain: Florida State University
Aaron Wolfgang Ashley: Florida State University
Mainak Mookherjee: Florida State University
Dipta B. Ghosh: Louisiana State University
Bijaya B. Karki: Louisiana State University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The viscosity of magma plays a crucial role in the dynamics of the Earth: from the crystallization of a magma ocean during its initial stages to modern-day volcanic processes. However, the pressure-dependence behavior of viscosity at high pressure remains controversial. In this study, we report the results of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of basaltic melt to show that the melt viscosity increases upon compression along each isotherm for the entire lower mantle after showing minima at ~6 GPa. However, elevated temperatures of the magma ocean translate to a narrow range of viscosity, i.e., 0.01–0.03 Pa.s. This low viscosity implies that the crystallization of the magma ocean could be complete within a few million years. These results also suggest that the crystallization of the magma ocean is likely to be fractional, thus supporting the hypothesis that present-day mantle heterogeneities could have been generated during the early crystallization of the primitive mantle.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35171-y

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