Experimental deformation of partially melted granite revisited: implications for the continental crust

Abstract A review and reinterpretation of previous experimental data on the deformation of partially melted crustal rocks reveals that the relationship of aggregate strength to melt fraction is non‐linear, even if plotted on a linear ordinate and abscissa. At melt fractions, Φ < 0.07, the dependence of aggregate strength on Φ is significantly greater than at Φ > 0.07. This melt fraction (Φ = 0.07) marks the transition from a significant increase in the proportion of melt‐bearing grain boundaries up to this point to a minor increase thereafter. Therefore, we suggest that it is the increase of melt‐interconnectivity that causes the dramatic strength drop between the solidus and a melt fraction of 0.07. We…