Abstract

Most theories of two-phase compaction theory converge to the same set of governing equations for geologically relevant limits.  However not many include the infuence of surface energyand thermodynamics on the interface between phases.  The effect of interface surface energyhas multiple effects in two-phase flows including capillary forces and wetting, self-separation, and is even at the heart of void-generating damage theories.  Moreover, surface energy effectsdrive coarsening in mixtures and grained media (e.g., Ostwald ripening or normal grain-growth), nucleation during phase changes, and blocking or Zener pinning of migrating grain boundaries.  Surface thermodynamics is, again, central to grain-damage theories, and the combined influence ofgrain-growth, interface coarsening, Zener pinning and damage in two phases allows a reasonable model for lithospheric localization and plate tectonic generation. Finally, a new theory for diffuse interface capillary effects might provide a means for band width selection in melt-shear band instabilities.