Tag Archives: magma

As Africa Splits: Rapid Magma Rise Unveiled – Sciworthy Insights

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The African continent is geologically significant, divided into tectonic plates at the heart of Ethiopia. Recent advancements in geophysics have shed light on the mechanisms of tectonic plate separation. Research has revealed that the continents started to fragment due to cracks and misalignments in the crust and upper mantle, known as the lithosphere. As magma ascends through these fissures, it reaches the Earth’s surface, leading to volcanic formations. While scientists understand the association between volcanoes and continental rifts, the rate of their formation remains unclear, complicating volcanic hazard assessments in rift zones.

A research team, led by Kevin Wong, aimed to resolve this question by analyzing the minerals formed during magma cooling, specifically olivine. They examined 72 olivine crystals, each measuring between 1 and 4 millimeters (0.04 to 0.16 inches), sourced from the Bok and Jiwei volcanoes located within Africa’s Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Their findings indicate that the lithosphere in this area maintains a thickness of approximately 35-40 kilometers (21-25 miles). This substantial lithosphere hints at the MER’s position as an intermediate stage in continental separation, offering a unique perspective on the transition from tectonic deformation to magmatic fractures.

Wong and his team chose to analyze olivine due to its role as one of the earliest minerals to crystallize from magma, continuing to grow as the magma cools and rises. As the magma ascends, its composition alters, creating distinct chemical “zones” within the growing crystals, akin to the rings of a tree. Fluctuations in temperature and magma composition cause various elements, like magnesium and iron, to diffuse at differing rates, allowing scientists to model these chemical zones and their boundaries to determine the speed of magma ascent from the upper mantle to the surface.

The researchers utilized high-magnification imaging and chemical analysis through an electronic microprobe to study olivine crystals from the MER volcanic field. They meticulously mapped 10 to 15 points within each crystal, spaced approximately 5 to 15 microns (about 10% the thickness of a human hair) across a cross-section that spanned the growth zone from the inner core to the outer edge.

Their analysis identified two distinct categories of olivine crystals. The first displayed a normal zone crystal characterized by a magnesium-rich inner core, while the second was identified as a reverse zone crystal with a magnesium-poor core. The research indicated that freshly formed magma deep within the Earth is richer in magnesium than iron. The boundary between the magnesium-rich and magnesium-poor zones can become indistinct due to diffusion. This gradual smoothing of crystal boundaries over time operates at a known rate, allowing researchers to extract valuable information regarding the rate of magma ascent and its interaction with adjacent rock.

Employing a numerical model, the team estimated the diffusion rates of magnesium and iron across these chemical boundaries, factoring in varying temperatures and magma compositions. By comparing thousands of simulated diffusion profiles with actual olivine diffusion profiles, the researchers estimated that the crystals ascended from deep within the Earth and mixed with the surrounding magma over an average of 40 days during the Bok eruption and 17 days during the Jiwei eruption. They further cross-validated these estimates using a growth-diffusion model, which better mirrors the natural behavior of crystals, yielding an approximate rise time of 27 days while accurately replicating the observed crystal band pattern.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that intermediate-stage rifting events occur at surprisingly short time scales. On average, magma can ascend up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) from deep within the Earth to the surface in about one month. This timeline aligns more closely with human time frames than geological ones. They suggested that such rapid ascent is likely due to a sophisticated magmatic plumbing system embedded within the lithosphere, which develops before substantial thinning occurs. However, the researchers cautioned that these findings imply that the ascension timescale could vary significantly, impacting disaster mitigation and prediction efforts.


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Source: sciworthy.com

How Mercury’s Sulfur-Rich Magma Could Change Our Understanding of the Formation of the Solar System’s Innermost Planet

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New research from Rice University reveals that sulfur plays a crucial role in maintaining the cool, molten interior of Mercury, offering fresh insights into the evolution of the planet’s unique crust and mantle.

Yishen Zhang and Rajdeep Dasgupta shed light on sulfur’s influence in shaping the thermochemical evolution of Mercury and similar reduced rocky planets. Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Carnegie Institution of Washington.

“Mercury’s surface is distinctly different from Earth’s,” explains Rajdeep Dasgupta, director of the Center for Planetary Origins and Habitability at the Rice Institute for Space Studies.

“Relying on Earth-based assumptions to study Mercury’s igneous evolution is inadequate, and mission data presents interpretation challenges.”

“We needed a way to replicate Mercury’s conditions in the lab using a meteorite known as Indarch.”

The Indarch meteorite, which fell in Azerbaijan in 1891, mirrors Mercury’s chemical composition closely.

Researchers leveraged the similarities with Indarch to investigate Mercury’s formation, publishing their findings in a recent paper.

“Indarch is chemically as reduced as Mercury’s rocks,” stated Yishen Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University.

“It may even provide clues regarding Earth’s building blocks.”

Using the model melt composition from Indarch, scientists created a synthetic version of Mercury rock in a high-pressure, high-temperature environment.

The procedure was quite straightforward: they combined Indarch’s chemical components in small glass vessels, adjusted the facility to mimic Mercury’s conditions, added chemicals, and initiated the cooking process.

“This rock-cooking technique reveals the chemical processes occurring within Mercury,” Zhang remarked.

“By employing temperature, pressure, and chemical parameters derived from spacecraft observations, we aim to recreate Mercury-like conditions to enhance our understanding of magma formation and evolution—even without direct samples from the planet.”

The researchers discovered that sulfur reduces the temperature at which these molten, reduced rocks crystallize.

This indicates that Mercury’s sulfur-rich magma remains molten at lower temperatures compared to Earth’s similar magma.

The significant drop in crystallization temperature is attributed to Mercury’s unique chemical profile: low iron, high sulfur, and its chemically reduced state.

Sulfur is a versatile element, typically bonding with other elements, predominantly iron.

In iron-rich planets like Mars and Earth, sulfur is mostly attached to iron. However, Mercury’s low iron content allows sulfur to seek out new partners.

Specifically, sulfur can bond with key rock-forming elements such as magnesium and calcium.

On Earth, these rock-forming elements typically combine with oxygen to form stable structures known as silicate networks, made up of silicon, oxygen, and these elements.

Nonetheless, when sulfur replaces oxygen in this network, the structure becomes weaker, leading to lower crystallization temperatures.

“Since Indarch may represent a protoplanetary state of Mercury, our experiments suggest that sulfur likely occupied a structural role typically held by oxygen on Earth. This fundamentally alters the crystallization behavior of Mercury’s mantle,” noted Zhang.

“This provides fascinating insights into Mercury’s evolution and the distinct chemistry of its surface,” remarked Professor Dasgupta.

“More critically, it enables us to consider planetary formation in terms of their unique chemistries and igneous dynamics under various conditions.”

“Sulfur influences Mercury similarly to how water and carbon influence magma evolution on Earth.”

The findings are published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

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Yishen Zhang and Rajdeep Dasgupta. Effects of sulfur on the near-liquid phase relationships of highly reduced basaltic melts and implications for Mercury’s magmatism. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta published online on February 26, 2026. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2026.02.034

Source: www.sci.news

Newly Discovered Alien Magma Planet Shockingly Close to Earth

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Astronomers have unveiled a fascinating new exoplanet located just 35 light-years from Earth, perpetually shrouded in a massive ocean of lava.

The exoplanet, designated L 98-59 d, has the potential to challenge current theories of planet formation and introduce an entirely new category of planetary bodies, according to recent study published in Nature Astronomy.

This groundbreaking discovery stems from observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) alongside various ground-based observatories, which revealed several striking characteristics.

Notably, L 98-59 d, measuring 1.6 times the size of Earth, exhibits a remarkably low density and possesses substantial quantities of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere.










This positions L 98-59 d outside traditional classifications for similarly sized planets, which are typically categorized as either rocky “gas dwarfs” with hydrogen atmospheres or as “water worlds” characterized by oceans and ice. Clearly, L 98-59 d does not fit into these established categories.

To delve deeper into its true nature, a research team from the University of Oxford utilized computer simulations to rewind the clock approximately 5 billion years, reconstructing the planet’s entire evolutionary history.

Their simulations suggested that L 98-59 d is likely encased in a mantle of molten silicate rock, featuring a global magma ocean extending thousands of kilometers deep. This expansive reservoir enables the storage of significant amounts of sulfur, which accounts for the unusual atmospheric composition detected by JWST.

“This discovery implies that the classifications currently employed by astronomers to describe small planets may be overly simplistic,” stated the lead author, Dr. Harrison Nichols. “What other unique planets await discovery?”

L 98-59 d orbits a red dwarf star with about one-third the mass of the Sun – Photo credit: Mark A. Garlick / markgarlick.com

The findings from this research also have implications for our own planet. “All planets initially form in a molten state. Some, like Earth, cool down, while others, like L 98-59 d, remain molten,” Nichols noted in BBC Science Focus.

“We can leverage these observations to gain insights into the early history of our own planet and the origins of life by studying the common physics that govern these ‘alien’ worlds.”

Looking forward, Nichols believes L 98-59 d could represent the first of many. “This planet may well be the inaugural member of the broader category of magma ocean worlds… ‘magma oceans’ could prove to be quite prevalent.”

Future missions, including the European Space Agency’s Ariel and PLATO missions, will provide further data to determine whether L 98-59 d is an anomaly or the first known representative of a much larger class of worlds.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Discovering a Mysterious Magma and Sulfur Planet Hidden in the Milky Way

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Recent findings on L 98-59d, part of the five-planet system L 98-59, indicate that this intriguing exoplanet may host an extensive global magma ocean, effectively trapping sulfur deep within its interior. This discovery introduces a previously unidentified category of extraterrestrial worlds.

Artist’s impression of planetary system L 98-59. Image credit: Mark A. Garlick / markgarlick.com.

The distant L 98-59 system lies approximately 34.5 light-years away in the southern constellation Bootes.

Known as TOI-175 or TIC 307210830, this bright M dwarf star has a mass roughly one-third that of the Sun.

This intriguing planetary system features at least three transiting planets and two non-transiting planets: L 98-59b, L 98-59c, L 98-59d, L 98-59e, and L 98-59f.

L 98-59d completes an orbit around its parent star every 7.5 days and is about 1.6 times larger than Earth, receiving approximately four times the radiant energy of our planet.

A recent study led by astronomer Harrison Nichols from the University of Oxford aimed to reconstruct the planetary history of this super-Earth, tracing its evolution from its formation nearly 5 billion years ago.

By correlating telescope observations with comprehensive physical models of the planet’s interior and atmosphere, the research team gained insights into the planet’s deep geological processes.

The findings suggest that L 98-59d possesses a mantle of molten silicate similar to Earth’s lava, underpinned by a vast global magma ocean that extends for thousands of kilometers.

This massive molten reservoir enables L 98-59d to store significant amounts of sulfur within its interior over geological timescales.

Moreover, the magma ocean assists in retaining a hydrogen-rich atmosphere laden with sulfur compounds like hydrogen sulfide, which is typically lost to space due to X-ray radiation emitted by the host star.

Over billions of years, the interplay between its molten interior and atmosphere has sculpted L 98-59d into the striking world observed today.

Researchers propose that L 98-59d may represent the inaugural example of a newly identified category of gas-rich sulfur exoplanets that sustain long-lived magma oceans. If validated, this could greatly expand our understanding of planetary diversity in the galaxy.

“This discovery highlights that the current classifications of small planets may be overly simplistic,” remarked Dr. Nichols.

“While this molten world is unlikely to support life, it showcases the vast array of planets beyond our solar system. What other types of celestial bodies remain undiscovered?”

For more details, refer to the study published in today’s edition of Nature Astronomy.

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H. Nichols et al. Evolution of a volatile-rich molten super-Earth L 98-59d. Nat Astron, published online March 16, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41550-026-02815-8

Source: www.sci.news

Southern Impact Reveals Magma Ocean in Moon’s Largest Crater: Study

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Approximately 4.3 billion years ago, during the early formation of our solar system, a massive asteroid collided with the far side of the moon, resulting in the creation of the South Pole-Aitken Basin—an enormous crater. This feature, the largest on the moon, spans over 1,200 miles in length and 1,000 miles in width. Its rectangular shape is attributed to a glancing impact rather than a direct hit. Challenging previous beliefs that the basin was formed by an asteroid coming from the south, recent research indicates that the narrowing shape of the basin towards the south suggests an impact from the north.

The South Pole-Aitken Impact Basin on the far side of the Moon was formed by a southward impact. Image credit: Jeff Andrews-Hanna / University of Arizona / NASA / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

“The downstream edge of the basin should have a thick layer of material that was excavated from the moon’s interior by the impact, while the upper edge should not,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona.

“This suggests that the Artemis mission will target the downrange rim of the basin, an ideal site to examine the moon’s largest and oldest impact basins, where most of the ejecta, consisting of material from deep within the moon, are likely to be gathered.”

Historically, it has been believed that early moons were molten due to the energy released during their formation, resulting in a magma ocean that enveloped the entire moon.

As this magma ocean solidified, heavy minerals settled to create the Moon’s mantle, while lighter minerals floated upwards to form the Earth’s crust.

Nevertheless, certain elements were not incorporated into the solid mantle and crust, but instead became concentrated in the last liquid remnants of the magma ocean.

These “residual” elements, including potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus, are collectively known as KREEP.

Dr. Andrews-Hanna and his team noted that these elements appear to be especially abundant on the moon’s near side.

“If you’ve ever frozen a can of soda, you might have noticed that high fructose corn syrup doesn’t freeze all the way through and instead accumulates at the bottom of the liquid,” remarked Dr. Andrews-Hanna.

“We believe a similar phenomenon occurred on the moon with KREEP.”

“Over millions of years, as it cooled, the magma ocean crystallized into the crust and mantle.”

“Eventually, only a small amount of liquid remained trapped between the mantle and the crust, which is this KREEP-rich material.”

“The abundance of KREEP’s heat-producing elements somehow concentrated on the moon’s near side, causing it to heat up and initiate intense volcanic activity, thus creating the dark volcanic plains visible from Earth.”

“However, the process by which this KREEP-rich material became concentrated on the near side and how it evolved remains an enigma.”

“The moon’s crust is considerably thicker on the far side compared to the near side that faces Earth, a discrepancy that continues to puzzle scientists.”

“This asymmetry influences various aspects of the moon’s development, including the final stages of the magma ocean.”

“Our hypothesis posits that as the far side’s crust thickened, the underlying magma ocean was forced outward, akin to squeezing toothpaste from a tube, causing most of it to accumulate on the near side.”

A recent investigation of the Antarctic Aitken Basin has uncovered unexpected asymmetries supporting this scenario. The western ejecta blanket is rich in radioactive thorium, while the eastern side is not.

This indicates that the rift left by the impact formed a conduit through the moon’s crust, near the boundary separating the “normal” crust from the underlying layers that contain the final remnants of the KREEP-rich magma ocean.

“Our research shows that the distribution and composition of these materials align with predictions derived from modeling the later stages of magma ocean evolution,” stated Dr. Andrews-Hanna.

“The last remnants of the Moon’s magma ocean have reached the near side, where the concentration of radioactive elements is at its peak.”

“However, prior to this, there may have been a thin, patchy layer of magma ocean beneath parts of the far side, explaining the presence of radioactive ejecta on one flank of the Antarctic Aitken Basin.”

For further information, refer to the study published in the journal Nature.

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JC Andrews-Hanna et al. 2025. The southern impact excavated a magma ocean in the Moon’s South Pole Aitken Basin. Nature 646, 297-302; doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09582-y

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists worldwide discover a substantial magma reservoir beneath the inactive volcano

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The magma reservoir under the cascade range has a different depth, size, and complexity, but the upper magma body is spread, according to the Global Scientist’s team at Cornell University and Cascade Volcano Observatory.

Mountleinia. Image credit: Walter Siegmund / CC by-Sa 3.0.

The visible lava on the surface is an obvious indicator of the activity, but the long-standing beliefs are expelled during the eruption of active volcanoes, and there are large magma body that breaks down over time as the volcano becomes dormant. That is.

But A New study It is published in the journal Natural global science Challenge this assumption.

The study author has identified the magma chamber under the six volcanoes, six volcanoes of various sizes within the cascade range and six volcanoes.

They discovered that all of the volcanoes, including dormant state, have a sustainable and large magma body.

Given that some of these volcanoes, such as Lake Lake in Oregon, have not been active for thousands of years, the results are surprising.

“Regardless of the frequency of eruptions, you can see a large magma under a lot of volcanoes,” said Dr. Guaning Pan, a researcher at Cornel University.

“These magma bodies seem to be not only active, but also under volcanoes for a lifetime.”

The fact that more volcanoes maintain a magma body is an important consideration on how researchers monitor and predict future volcanic activities.

“We thought that if we found a large amount of magma, we thought it would increase the potential of eruptions, but now we change the perception that this is the baseline situation,” said Dr. Pan. Ta.

The result suggests that the eruption does not completely discharge the magma chamber, indicating that it eliminates excessive amounts and pressure instead.

The chamber can gradually solve the crust, so it can be slowly expanded and replenished over time.

“With a general understanding of where the magma is, I was able to do a good job rather than optimizing monitoring,” said Professor Jeffrey Aberters of Cornell University.

“There are many volcanoes that are sparse or not intensive research.”

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G. bread et al。 Partial melting long life under the volcano in the cascade range. nut. GeosciReleased online on January 23, 2025. Doi: 10.1038/S41561-024-01630-Y

Source: www.sci.news

New research indicates that Jupiter’s moon Io does not have an underground magma ocean

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Juno and Galileo’s volcanic activity on Io, Jupiter’s innermost Galilean moon and the most volcanically active object in the solar system, is unlikely to originate from a global magma ocean just below the surface. Deep space networks and astronomical observations, according to new analysis of Doppler data.

The internal structure of Io revealed by this research. Image credit: Sofia Shen / NASA / JPL / Caltech.

Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Io is the most volcanically active object in the solar system.

It is the innermost of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, which in addition to Io includes Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Trapped in a gravitational tug of war between Jupiter, Europa, and Ganymede, Io is constantly squeezed, causing frictional heat to build up within its interior, which is thought to be the cause of sustained and widespread volcanic activity.

Volcanic activity on the Moon was first discovered in 1979. That’s when Linda Morabito, an engineer on NASA’s Voyager program, spotted an eruption plume in one of the images taken by the spacecraft during its famous Grand Tour of the outer planets.

Since then, countless observations have been made from both space telescopes and telescopes on Earth documenting Io’s restless nature.

“Io is Galileo’s innermost moon, orbiting Jupiter every 42.5 hours,” said Juno collaborator Dr. Ryan Park of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and colleagues.

“It has an average diameter of 3,643 km and a bulk density of 3,528 kg/m.3 As such, it is approximately 5% larger than the Moon, both in diameter and density.”

“Io’s eccentric orbit changes its distance from Jupiter by about 3,500 km, which leads to fluctuations in Jupiter’s gravitational pull.”

“Similar to the Moon’s tides caused by Earth, these gravitational fluctuations cause tidal deformations on Io, which are theorized to serve as the main energy source for the intense volcanism and infrared radiation observed on Io’s surface.”

The amount of tidal energy could be enough to cause Io’s interior to melt, potentially forming a magma ocean underground, but this theory is controversial.

Measuring the extent of Io’s tidal deformation could help determine whether the shallow magma ocean theory is plausible.

“Since the discovery of Morabito, planetary scientists have wondered how volcanoes were fed by lava beneath the Earth’s surface,” said Scott Bolton, Ph.D., principal investigator at Juno and a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute.

“Was there a shallow ocean of white-hot magma that fueled the volcano, or was the source more local?”

“We knew data from Juno’s two very close approaches could give us insight into how this beleaguered satellite actually works.”



Io’s arctic region was captured by NASA’s Juno on December 30, 2023, during the spacecraft’s 57th approach to the gas giant. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew very close to Io in December 2023 and February 2024, coming within about 1,500 km of the surface.

During its approach, Juno communicated with NASA’s Deep Space Network and acquired high-precision dual-frequency Doppler data. This data was used to measure Io’s gravity by tracking how it affects the spacecraft’s acceleration.

Combining these observations with archival Doppler data from NASA’s Galileo mission and ground-based telescopes, the researchers calculated how much Io is deformed by tidal forces.

This result is inconsistent with what would be expected if a shallow global magma ocean existed, suggesting that Io has a nearly solid mantle.

It is not yet known whether there are regions of magma deep within the moon.

The findings show that tidal forces do not necessarily create global magma oceans, which could have implications for our understanding of other moons such as Enceladus and Europa.

“Juno’s discovery that tidal forces don’t always produce global magma oceans not only prompts us to rethink what we know about Io’s interior,” Dr. Park said.

“It has implications for our understanding of other moons such as Enceladus and Europa, as well as exoplanets and super-Earths.”

“Our new findings provide an opportunity to rethink what we know about planet formation and evolution.”

The team’s paper published in this week’s magazine nature.

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RS Park others. Due to Io’s tidal reactions, shallow magma oceans do not form. nature published online on December 12, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08442-5

Source: www.sci.news

The huge magma flow in Iceland set a new speed record

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On February 8th, lava erupted near Grindavik, Iceland.

Iceland Civil Defense/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images

Prior to the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland, the influx of magma into the 15-kilometre-long fissure occurred at the highest rate of its kind ever observed anywhere in the world.

“Higher eruption rates can occur in very large eruptions,” he says.
Freistein Sigmundson at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. “But I don't know of any higher estimates for magma flowing into cracks in the surface.”

Sigmundsson is part of a team that is monitoring recent volcanic activity beneath Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula using ground-based sensors and satellites. It started when magma built up several kilometers beneath the Svartsengi region, the site of a geothermal power plant that supplies hot water to the tourist attraction Blue Lagoon Spa.

On November 10, 2023, a giant fissure several kilometers deep and 15 kilometers long formed nearby. When the magma opened, some of the accumulated magma flowed into it at a speed of 7,400 cubic meters per second, according to the researchers' calculations.

This is about 100 times faster than the magma flow that occurred during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 eruptions in the nearby Fagradalsfjall region, Sigmundsson said.

The magma inside the crack is at most 8 meters wide, so it can be visualized like a piece of paper, he says. This crack formed because Iceland is located on the boundary where the tectonic plates are moving apart.

On December 18, a so-called fissure eruption began along part of this terrain and lasted for three days. Another lava wave that lasted two days began on January 14, with some of the lava reaching the evacuated town of Grindavik.

Sigmundsson said the lava flow destroyed only a few buildings, but cracks in the ground caused extensive damage to roads and pipes, and created underground cavities.

On February 8, another eruption began a short distance from Grindavik. Lava from here flowed across pipes carrying hot water from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. This means heating is cut off in some neighborhoods, and most buildings in Iceland rely on geothermal water for heating.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The First Tunnel into a Magma Chamber Could Tap into Endless Energy Sources

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Iceland is one of the most boring countries in the world. That’s a compliment, not an insult. The island nation is dotted with thousands of boreholes dug deep into the bedrock to extract geothermal energy. You’ll soon be joined by another team, but it’s never boring. “We are planning to drill into the magma chamber,” says Hjalti Pár Ingolsson from Reykjavík’s Geothermal Research Cluster (GEORG). “This is our first trip to the center of the Earth,” says his colleague Björn Sor Gudmundsson.

Well, not in the center. Some magma chambers (underground reservoirs of molten rock) lie just a few kilometers below the earth’s surface and are within reach of modern excavators. Sometimes magma leaks to the surface and erupts as lava. At the time this story went to press, that’s exactly what was beginning to have spectacular and devastating effects around the town of Grindavik in southern Iceland. The problem is that we usually don’t know where the magma chamber is. “No geophysical method has yet been proven to satisfactorily locate magma chambers,” he says. John Eichelberger At the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

But now Ingolfsson and his colleagues are in luck. They accidentally discover a magma chamber and are planning to do the unthinkable: to intentionally drill into it. This project is nothing short of making scientific history by providing the first direct opportunity to study the hidden liquid rock that Earth used to build its continents. On the way, it could also be…

Source: www.newscientist.com