Overview
- The peer-reviewed study, published Monday, June 8, 2026, and led by the University of Manchester used samples from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption and a new X-ray‑transparent pressure vessel to watch crystallisation in real time.
- Experiments found that magma not exposed to superheating began to form crystals in about 20 minutes while strongly superheated samples delayed nucleation for more than eight hours.
- Superheating works by dissolving tiny pre-existing crystal “seeds” and homogenising the melt, which slows the start of new crystal growth and keeps the magma less viscous during ascent.
- When those measured delays were put into numerical magma‑ascent models, the results showed delayed crystallisation lets magma rise rapidly and remain fluid, promoting lava fountaining, whereas early crystallisation thickens magma and favours gentler effusive flows.
- The authors say volcanic hazard models should include pre‑eruptive thermal history and crystallisation kinetics, but they note the results focus on mafic magmas and one eruption and need broader testing before being used in operational forecasts for affected communities.