On the origin of rock magma

Abstract

The remarkable correlation between the locations of ocean trenches, eugeosynclines, gravity anomalies, volcanic islands, and earthquake foci suggests a common origin. These phenomena are frequently interpreted as being due to compressive failure of the outermost crust of the earth. Yoder's [1952] hypothesis has been extended to include remelting upon release of pressure during compressive failure rather than tensile failure. The range of mean pressure, and the corresponding melting ranges for likely constituents of the crust and mantle, have been estimated. This hypothesis of magma generation is quantitatively feasible, but the data, especially the actual temperature distribution, are at present inadequately known.