The talk will discuss the physical processes involved in the production, transport and intrusion of large volumes of silicic magma in the continental crust. These are the systems giving rise to moderate to large silicic eruptions which have huge environmental impact, including, in extreme cases, so-called “super-eruptions”. What are the energy sources that drive melting ? Although melting is most likely to occur in the lower crust, there is strong evidence for shallow crustal storage (~a few km. depth) of large volumes of silicic magma prior to eruption. What physical processes underly the formation of such magma reservoirs ? The talk aims to present some new ideas on these issues of melting and storage. We will argue that in continental crust hosting large silicic systems, the crust is hot enough to be mostly ductile, and will discuss how this may arise, and the implications for magma transport, storage and magma chamber depth and shape.