Overview
- A peer-reviewed study led by ETH Zurich reports that Greece's Methana volcano has built a large magma reservoir during more than 100,000 years without eruptions.
- Scientists dated over 1,250 zircon crystals from past lavas and tuffs spanning about 700,000 years to trace near-continuous magma production.
- The team found the magma was unusually rich in water, which caused rapid crystallization that thickened the melt and slowed its rise through the crust.
- Models in the paper show this sticky, water-charged magma can stall underground, so long surface silence does not prove a volcano is extinct.
- The authors urge hazard agencies to step up monitoring using quakes, ground swelling, gas readings, and imaging, noting no current eruption but a need to reassess quiet subduction-zone volcanoes worldwide.