Magma extraction pressures and the architecture of volcanic plumbing systems

The deposits of large volcanic eruptions provide the sole record of the architecture of magmatic plumbing systems in the moments when large pools of crystal-poor, eruptible magma are present in the crust. It is widely accepted that silicic magmas form by segregation of melt-rich, crystal-poor magma from a crystal-rich source; however, the depths at which segregation takes place and the distribution of the magma within the crust are not well...