Physics, chemistry and rheology of silicate melts and glasses

Knowledge of the physical, chemical and thermodynamic
properties of silicate melts and glasses is
required to understand magma formation and evolution
at all scales of observation. As is illustrated by
the papers published in this special issue of Chemical
Geology, there is a complex interplay between
microscopic and macroscopic features. Whereas
determining the microscopic structure of glasses and
melts is useful to understand how macroscopic
properties vary with pressure, temperature and
composition, studies of macroscopic properties in
turn put strong constraints on which microscopic
aspects are actually relevant to a given problem. In
this issue this approach is successfully applied to a
variety of topics which range from melt rheology to
volatile solubility or from spectroscopic investigations
of silicate speciation to computer simulation
studies of melt/glass structure. These papers were
originally presented and discussed in April 2005 at
the Vienna meeting of the European Union of
Geosciences. They represent an up-to-date overview
of current research in the field, ranging from
classical approaches to new science and technology
solutions which will help expand our research
possibilities. We thank the Chemical Geology staff
and all contributors and colleagues who made this
volume possible.