Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Magma In A Beaker: Analog Experiments With Water And Various Salts Or Sugar For Teaching Igneous Petrology, John B. Brady

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Solutions of water and a salt or sugar make excellent experimental analog magmas for teaching concepts of igneous petrology because of the comparatively low temperatures involved, the simplicity of the apparatus needed, and the responsiveness of familiar chemical systems. Boiling of these aqueous solutions on a hot plate can be used to increase the concentration of a dissolved salt or sugar to levels that may be predicted by steam-saturation curves. Sufficiently concentrated solutions will crystallize, partially or completely, upon cooling to room temperature. Binary temperature–composition phase diagrams for H₂O and KCl, NaCl, MgCl₂, CaCl₂, …