Viscosity of andesite melts and its implication for magma mixing prior to Unzen 1991-1995 eruption

The viscosity of an iron-bearing melt with composition similar to Unzen andesite was
determined experimentally in the high (109-1010.5 Pa·s) and low (5-1000 Pa·s) viscosity range
using a parallel plate viscometer and the falling sphere method, respectively. Falling sphere
experiments were carried out in an internally heated argon pressure vessel and in a piston
cylinder apparatus at 1323 to 1573 K and 200 to 2000 MPa. Creep experiments were
performed in the temperature range of 747 - 845 K at 300 MPa. The water content of the melt
varies from nominally dry to 6.2 wt% H2O. The Fe2+/Fetot ratio was determined for each
sample in the quenched glass using a colorimetric method. Pressure has minor influence on
the viscosity compared with the effect of temperature, water content (main compositional
parameter controlling the viscosity) or with the Fe2+/Fetot ratio (especially important at low
water content of the melt). Based on our new viscosity data and literature data with measured
Fe2+/Fetot ratio we propose a new empirical equation to estimate the viscosity η (in Pa·s) of
andesitic melts as a function of temperature T (in K), water content w (in wt%) and Fe2+/Fetot
ratio. The derived relationship reproduces the experimental data (87 in total) in the viscosity
range from 100.5 to 1013 Pa·s with a 1σ standard deviation of 0.17 log units. However,
application of this calculation model is limited to Fe2+/Fetot>0.3 and to temperatures above Tg.
Moreover, in the high viscosity range the variation of viscosity with water content is
constrained only by few experimental data and needs verification by additional
measurements.
The viscosity data are used to interpret mixing processes in the Unzen magma chamber prior
to 1991-1995 eruption. We demonstrate that the viscosities of the rhyolite and andesite melts
from the two end-member magmas are nearly identical prior and during mixing, enabling
efficient magma mixing.