Hydrothermal processes related to movement of fluid from plastic into brittle rock in the magmatic-epithermal environment

Repeated intrusions of magma to depths of 2 to 6 km beneath a volcanic complex result in a large body of surrounding rock attaining temperatures sufficiently hot (>400 degrees C) for crustal rocks to behave in a plastic manner at normal strain rates, [asymp]10 (super -14) sec (super -1) . Where the least principal stress is the lithostatic load, hypersaline brine and gas exsolved from crystallizing magma accumulate at lithostatic pressure within...