Articles | Volume 37, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-37-413-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-37-413-2025
Research article
 | 
04 Jul 2025
Research article |  | 04 Jul 2025

Vesiculation dynamics – Part 2: Decompression-induced H2O vesicle growth, onset, and progression of coalescence

Patricia Louisa Marks and Marcus Nowak

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Vesiculation dynamics – Part 1: Decompression-induced H2O vesicle formation in the Lower Laacher See phonolitic melt
Patricia Louisa Marks and Marcus Nowak
Eur. J. Mineral., 37, 385–412, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-37-385-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-37-385-2025, 2025
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H2O degassing triggered by alkali depletion in bimodal magma injection processes – a new experimental approach
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Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 613–633, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-613-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-613-2023, 2023
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H2O degassing triggered by alkali depletion in bimodal magma injection processes – a new experimental approach
Patricia Louisa Marks, Anja Allabar, and Marcus Nowak
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Cited articles

Allabar, A. and Nowak, M.: Message in a bottle: Spontaneous phase separation of hydrous Vesuvius melt even at low decompression rates, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 501, 192–201, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.08.047, 2018. 
Allabar, A., Dobson, K. J., Bauer, C. C., and Nowak, M.: Vesicle shrinkage in hydrous phonolitic melt during cooling, Contrib. Miner. Petr., 175, 21, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-020-1658-3, 2020a. 
Allabar, A., Salis Gross, E., and Nowak, M.: The effect of initial H2O concentration on decompression-induced phase separation and degassing of hydrous phonolitic melt, Contrib. Miner. Petr., 175, 22, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-020-1659-2, 2020b. 
Barclay, J., Riley, R. S., and Sparks, R. S. J.: Analytical models for bubble growth during decompression of high viscosity magmas, Bull. Volcanol., 57, 422–431, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300986, 1995. 
Berndt, J., Liebske, C., Holtz, F., Freise, M., Nowak, M., Ziegenbein, D., Hurkuck, W., and Koepke, J.: A combined rapid-quench and H2-membrane setup for internally heated pressure vessels: Description and application for water solubility in basaltic melts, Am. Mineral., 87, 1717–1726, https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2002-11-1222, 2002. 
Short summary
As magma ascends, H2O-supersaturated melt forms fluid vesicles, creating high vesicle number densities (VNDs) and increasing melt porosity, accelerating magma ascent. This study examines how VNDs vary with decompression rate as vesicles begin to coalesce. The shift from decompression-rate-independent to decompression-rate-dependent VND can strongly influence eruption styles, creating permeable channels or forming closed-porosity foams that trap pressurized gas, potentially leading to explosive eruptions.
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