Researchers used experiments and computer simulations to study bubble formation in magma. Until now people thought bubbles form when ambient pressure drops as magma rises and gases escape, like in a bottle of champagne.
The team found another cause: shear forces in the conduit. Shear is the speed difference between the conduit centre and the walls. Bubbles can grow and join deep in the conduit and form channels. These channels let gas escape early and allow calm lava flows. The study mentions Mount St. Helens and the Chilean volcano Quizapu as examples.
Difficult words
- volcano — A mountain that can erupt with lava and gas.volcanoes
- explode — To burst suddenly and violently.
- magma — Hot liquid rock inside a volcano.
- bubbles — Small round pockets of gas in a liquid.
- pressure — The force applied on an area.
- flow — To move or come out steadily.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What do you think happens to magma when it erupts violently?
- How do you think gas bubbles affect the formation of volcanoes?
- Can you relate this information about volcanoes to any other natural events?
Related articles
Algae-based synthetic gel supports mammary tissue growth
In 2020 a PhD student and her adviser at UC Santa Barbara developed an algae-based synthetic membrane to support mammary epithelial cells. Their tunable gel, reported in Science Advances, can direct cell growth by changing mechanical and biochemical cues.
New training method helps models do long multiplication
Researchers studied why modern language models fail at long multiplication and compared standard fine-tuning with an Implicit Chain of Thought (ICoT) method. ICoT models learned to store intermediate results and reached perfect accuracy.
Targeting a brain circuit to reduce opioid relapse
Researchers at Washington State University found that lowering activity in a specific brain connection cut heroin-seeking in a preclinical model. The study identifies a pathway between the prelimbic cortex and the paraventricular thalamus and tests two ways to reduce its activity.