{
  "id": 7399673,
  "title": "Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/magma-repeatedly-breaks-and-heals-during-eruptions-microscopic",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-14T21:10:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-magma-eruptions-microscopic-evidence.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Explosive volcanic eruptions can launch pyroclasts—fragments of magma and rock—into the air and surrounding areas, affecting air and road traffic and causing damage to crops and wildlife. Understanding how these particles form is crucial, as it influences their size and dispersion. A new study by volcanologist Jacopo Taddeucci and his team from Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia reveals that magma fragmentation during explosive eruptions is a prolonged process occurring over both space and time, not just at a single point. Using advanced microscopic techniques, the researchers analyzed pyroclasts from three basaltic volcanoes—Etna, Stromboli, and Cumbre Vieja—and found that fragmentation happens in several stages. They also discovered that crack healing and the welding of pyroclasts together play a significant role in determining final particle size. This finding could help refine computer models of eruptions and improve our understanding of past volcanic events. The study's collaborative approach, involving international researchers, provides a valuable record for reconstructing earlier fragmentation conditions and modeling future eruptions.",
  "summary": "Explosive volcanic eruptions can be as destructive as they are difficult to predict, launching pyroclasts—the fragments of magma and rock blasted from a volcano—into the air and surrounding areas. These particles can have wide-ranging impacts, as seen during this summer's eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, when ash fell over the nearby city of Catania and closed its international airport for weeks.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Magma fragmentation during eruptions is prolonged process, not single-point event",
    "Microscopic analysis reveals crack healing and pyroclast welding influence final size",
    "Study improves eruption modeling and reconstructs past volcanic conditions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}