Surface tension estimation of bubble nuclei in magma using spinodal pressure and nonclassical nucleation theory

Mizuki Nishiwaki 

Efforts to estimate the magma decompression rate from the vesicular texture of volcanic products have progressed through the development of theoretical models and laboratory experiments. The theoretical model is based on nucleation theory, with the surface tension between the melt and bubble nucleus being the parameter that most strongly governs nucleation. Since direct estimation of surface tension is difficult, it has been calculated by inverting the bubble number density (BND) from experimental samples using classical or nonclassical nucleation theory formulas. However, in the nonclassical case, which accounts for the supersaturation dependence of surface tension, the pressure at the spinodal limit (where surface tension becomes zero) was previously unknown, necessitating complex mathematical operations. In this study, the spinodal pressure determined from the Gibbs energy curve was substituted into the nonclassical formula by approximating the water-saturated silicate melt as a two-component symmetric regular solution composed of silicate and water. This approach allowed for a more straightforward estimation of surface tension using data from past decompression experiments. Nevertheless, the resulting surface tension values were more scattered than those obtained using the classical formula, suggesting that applying the nonclassical formula to magma vesiculation is not valid at present. Resolving this issue will likely require an integrated understanding of the dependence of surface tension on both supersaturation and bubble radius. Such understanding would enable more accurate estimation of surface tension and contribute to reconciling the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental BND values.