Controlled Pressure-Temperature Cycling in Rapid-Quench Cold-Seal Experimental Apparatus

Abstract

Externally heated rapid-quench cold-seal pressure vessels can maintain temperatures up to 1000 Celsius and pressures up to 2.0 kbars. These conditions simulate shallow felsic magma chambers, as well as most metamorphic environments in the Earth's upper crust. The experimental apparatus is both safe and relatively easy to use, making it ideal for conducting faculty-undergraduate student collaborative research projects. Here we present results that characterize the maximum and minimum pressure-release rates achievable in our apparatus.