Melt surges, flow differentiation, and remobilization of crystal-rich mushes in response to unloading: Observations from Kīlauea Iki lava lake, Hawaii

Field and laboratory studies of the 1959 Kīlauea Iki lava lake have provided insight into differentiation processes in mafic magma chambers. This paper explores how partially molten basaltic mushes responded to unloading as a consequence of drilling. Most holes drilled from 1967 to 1979 terminated in a melt-rich internal differentiate with a sharp crust-melt interface. These interfaces were not stable, so the boreholes were backfilled by melt-rich (