Earth Science News
SHAKE AND BLOW
New method helps scientists better predict when volcanos will erupt
Carbon dioxide fluid trapped in microscopic olivine crystals offer clues to where magma is located and when it may erupt in a volcano.
New method helps scientists better predict when volcanos will erupt
by Blaine Friedlander for Cornell Chronicle
Ithaca NY (SPX) Feb 09, 2023

Cornell University researchers have unearthed precise, microscopic clues to where magma is stored, offering a way to better assess the risk of volcanic eruptions.

In recent years, scientists have used satellite imagery, earthquake data and GPS to search for ground deformation near active volcanoes, but those techniques can be inaccurate in locating the depth of magma storage.

By finding microscopic, carbon dioxide-rich fluids encased in cooled volcanic crystals, scientists can accurately determine - within one hundred meters - where magma is located.

"A fundamental question is where magma is stored in Earth's crust and mantle," said Esteban Gazel, professor of engineering and lead author of the study, published in Science Advances. "That location matters because you can gauge the risk of an eruption by pinpointing the specific location of magma, instead of other signals like hydrothermal system of a volcano."

Gazel notes that speed and precision are essential. "We're demonstrating the enormous potential of this improved technique in terms of its rapidity and unprecedented accuracy," he said. "We can produce data within days of the samples arriving from a site, which provides better, near real-time results."

In volcanic events, magma reaches the Earth's surface, and it erupts as lava and - depending on how much gas it contains - could be explosive in nature. When deposited as part of the fallout of the eruption, fragmented fine-grained material - called tephra - can be collected and evaluated.

Gazel and doctoral student Kyle Dayton deduced how to use inclusions of carbon dioxide-rich fluids trapped within olivine crystals to precisely indicate depth, as the carbon dioxide density of these inclusions is controlled by pressure.

These fluids can be measured quickly using an instrument to determine - in terms of kilometers - how far down the magma was stored and the depth of the scorching reservoir.

Gazel and Dayton joined a small, elite team of international researchers to study the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma in the Canary Islands. Gazel and Dayton picked through tephra to find crystals, which in turn provide data to improve eruption models and forecasts.

Research Report:Deep magma storage during the 2021 La Palma eruption

Related Links
Cornell University
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Ice cores show even dormant volcanoes leak abundant sulfur into the atmosphere
Seattle WA (SPX) Feb 03, 2023
Volcanoes draw plenty of attention when they erupt. But new research led by the University of Washington shows that volcanoes leak a surprisingly high amount of their atmosphere- and climate-changing gases in their quiet phases. A Greenland ice core shows that volcanoes quietly release at least three times as much sulfur into the Arctic atmosphere than estimated by current climate models. The study, led by the University of Washington and published Jan. 2 in Geophysical Research Letters, has impli ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
UN chief says Syria to open 2 crossings for quake aid; Assad pleads for help

Israeli rescue team leaves Turkey over security fears

NZ one of few island nations with potential to produce enough food in a nuclear winter

Insulated from war, quake brings 'first catastrophe' to Syria city

SHAKE AND BLOW
High efficiency mid- and long-wave optical parametric oscillator pump source and its applications

Automating the math for decision-making under uncertainty

Understanding laser accelerated electron radiation through terahertz emissions

Turkey's once mighty developers under fire after quake

SHAKE AND BLOW
Canada says no seabed mining unless new 'rigorous' rules

Chicken of the sea

How did ancient extreme climate affect sand in the deep sea?

Engineers devise a modular system to produce efficient, scalable aquabots

SHAKE AND BLOW
Antarctic ice hits record low for January: climate monitor

Glacial flooding threatens millions globally

More frequent atmospheric rivers hinder seasonal recovery of Arctic sea ice

Study details timing of past glacier advances in Northern Antarctic Peninsula

SHAKE AND BLOW
Super Bowl snack hurting Colombian farmers, environment

Plant diversity may never fully recover from agriculture without a helping hand

South Africa's largest rhino farm puts itself up for sale

Foot-and-mouth variant hits Iraq buffaloes, threatening livelihoods

SHAKE AND BLOW
Flights grounded, power cut as storm lashes N.Zealand

New method helps scientists better predict when volcanos will erupt

Asphalt volcano communities

Storm-battered N. Zealand declares national state of emergency

SHAKE AND BLOW
Somaliland accuses Somalia of attacks despite truce

Russian frigate docks in S.Africa ahead of military drills

Mass trial opens in Chad over ex-strongman's death

Domestic violence, child marriages soar in drought-hit Ethiopia

SHAKE AND BLOW
Changing climate conditions likely facilitated human migrations to the Americas

People can tell whether they like a song within seconds, study finds

The chemistry of mummification - Traces of a global network

Superhighways of first Australians reveals a 10,000-year journey through the continent

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.