There very rapid training Of nanocrystals In the magma in increase drastically the viscosityfeeding volcanic eruptions Very explosive: it indicates international research coordinated by Danilo in Genoa of the Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for the development of CNR ceramic materials in Rome, and conducted thanks to an important contribution of the Roma Tre University. The results, published in the Communications Earth & Environment magazine, offer a New key to reading for the dynamics of these eruptions and even open new perspectives for the design Of advanced materials like the industrial windowswhere the control of nanocrystallization It is fundamental.
The study employed Advanced imaging techniques To observe, for the first time in real time, the Training of ‘Nanolites’ (iron and titanium oxide crystals smaller than a thousandth of a diameter of a hair) in an Andesitic magma, a type of magma with a typically intermediate viscosity, common in many volcanoes with explosive behavior. “We have seen that these nanolites are formed in a few seconds Once the magma reaches certain conditions, “says the first author of the Pedro Valdivia Muñoz studio, of the Bayerisches Geoinsitut in Germany.
“But the real surprise is thechain effect that trigger. Instead of being simple solid particles scattered, the nanolites they chemically alter The surrounding magma. There are areas enriched in silica around the crystals, wrapped simultaneously with aluminum -rich shells. This chemical heterogeneity on a nanoscopic scale is the true responsible for the impressive increase in viscosity. ” mechanism it is therefore more complex of what was thought. “It is not just about the progressive impoverishment of iron in liquid magma or physical ingrustment created by crystals,” continues the researcher. “It’s the chemical reorganization on Nanoscala That change radically the Magma behaviorsignificantly increasing the viscosity And then making it flow with much more difficulty “.
These discoveries have direct implications For the understanding of Andesitic eruptions, typical of volcanoes such as Sakurajima in Japan. “The rapid formation of nanolites and the consequent increase in viscosity during the ascent of magma could be key factors that lead to an explosive fragmentation. Furthermore – concludes of Genoa – these heterogeneous areas could influence the propagation of fractures in the magma and even facilitate the formation of gas bubbles, further amplifying the explosive potential”.
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