New Experiment Revealed Why Some Volcanoes Dont Explode While Others Do

Описание: Volcanoes often erupt with dramatic force, blasting ash into the sky and reshaping landscapes. Traditionally, scientists believed explosive eruptions occurred when rising magma experienced a drop in pressure, allowing dissolved gases to expand rapidly—much like opening a bottle of champagne. In this classic model, gas-rich, sticky magma should erupt violently because it traps bubbles that build pressure until the magma shatters.

Yet many such volcanoes sometimes erupt gently, releasing lava quietly instead of exploding. This long-standing mystery prompted new research published in Science by an international team including ETH Zurich volcanologist Olivier Bachmann. Their breakthrough highlights a previously overlooked factor: shear forces inside the volcanic conduit.

As viscous magma rises, it moves faster in the center of the conduit than along the walls. This difference creates shear—stretching and deforming the magma. The researchers found that shear alone can trigger gas bubble formation deep underground, even without a pressure drop. In gas-rich magma, early bubble formation creates pathways that let gas escape gradually, preventing explosive pressure buildup. In contrast, low–gas magma may become explosive if shear generates bubbles too quickly.

This discovery reshapes eruption forecasting, showing that shear is a critical process that determines whether a volcano erupts violently or peacefully.

Read full article here: https://www.uncoverreality.in/2025/11...

Reference: 
Olivier Roche et al.
 ,
Shear-induced bubble nucleation in magmas.Science390,633-637(2025).DOI:10.1126/science.adw8543

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