Paul A. Jarvis

and 6 more

The mixing and mingling of magmas of different compositions are important geological processes. They produce various distinctive textures and geochemical signals in both plutonic and volcanic rocks and have implications for eruption triggering. Both processes are widely studied, with prior work focusing on field and textural observations, geochemical analysis of samples, theoretical and numerical modelling, and experiments. However, despite the vast amount of existing literature, there remain numerous unresolved questions. In particular, how does the presence of crystals and exsolved volatiles control the dynamics of mixing and mingling? Furthermore, to what extent can this dependence be parameterised through the effect of crystallinity and vesicularity on bulk magma properties such as viscosity and density? In this contribution, we review the state of the art for models of mixing and mingling processes and how they have been informed by field, analytical, experimental and numerical investigations. We then show how analytical observations of mixed and mingled lavas from four volcanoes (Chaos Crags, Lassen Peak, Mt. Unzen and Soufrière Hills) have been used to infer a conceptual model for mixing and mingling dynamics in magma storage regions. Finally, we review recent advances in incorporating multi-phase effects in numerical modelling of mixing and mingling, and highlight the challenges associated with bringing together empirical conceptual models and theoretically-based numerical simulations.