Catastrophic growth of totally molten magma chambers in months to years.

The vertical growth rate of basaltic magma chambers remains largely unknown with available estimates being highly uncertain. Here, we propose a novel approach to address this issue using the classical Skaergaard intrusion that started crystallizing from all margins inward only after it had been completely filled with magma. Our numerical simulations indicate that to keep the growing Skaergaard magma chamber completely molten, the vertical growth rate must have been on the order of several hundreds to a few thousands of meters per year, corresponding to volumetric flow rates of tens to hundreds of cubic kilometers per year.

The lateral growth and coalesence of magma systems.

Thermal and mechanical models of magma reservoir growth need to be reconciled with deformation patterns and structural relationships observed at active magma systems. Geophysical observations provide a series of short time-scale snap-shots (10-10 years) of the long-term growth of magmatic bodies (10-10 years). In this paper, we first review evidence for the growth of magmatic systems along structural features and the associated deformation patterns.