In order to meet the objectives of this project, we developed a high resolution finite elements model of a partially molten, irregular shaped ULVZ patch. We also carried out a series of numerical experiments studying the effect of shearing from mantle motion in redistribution of the melt within the ULVZs. Our numerical models were supplemented by analytical solutions and linear stability analyses. The results from our simulations indicate that the distribution of melt within the ULVZs is strongly dependent on two factors: (a) the density contrast between the melt and the solid and (b) shearing of the ULVZs as they are swept by flow in the surrounding mantle. We also found that the boundary conditions used in the numerical simulations deeply influence the predicted structure. There has been only one previous study in this area, and this study wasn't able to address the boundary condition issues due to their technical limitation.
The duration of this project was reduced as the Fellow received a tenure-track academic position at a burgeoning new research institute in India and had to leave early. Despite the early termination, the results from this project were presented in two major international conferences, the Annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in 2015 and the Annual European Geosciences Union conference in Spring 2016. In addition, these results were also disseminated as posters and talks at a workshop held at the University College of London and an international workshop on melting in the mantle hosted by the Isaac Newton Insittute at Cambridge University, UK.
