Sydney, July 7 (Agency) An international team of researchers from Australia and Spain has optimized a laser technology to read into the chemical composition of magma, which would help forecast volcanic behaviors. According to the study recently published in the Science Advances journal, researchers trialed an approach dubbed “laser ablation inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry” to analyze lava samples of the 2021 eruption at La Palma of Spain’s Canary Islands. By using the laser-power method, the research team was able to detect variations in lava chemistry linked to changes in earthquakes and sulfur dioxide emissions, as well as eruption style and the resulting hazards. In the eyes of Teresa Ubide, lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Queensland, the technique offered clearer data on what’s chemically occurring within a volcano’s magma, which is fundamental to the forecast of eruption patterns and changes. Regarded by Ubide as the “computer code” of volcanoes, magma is made up of liquid melt, gas, and crystals that combine inside the volcano. As so many meddling crystals make it difficult to observe the magma’s chemistry, the researchers blast the rock matrix with a laser like those used for eye surgery.
“The technology is widely applied in geosciences, but typically not to analyze volcanic matrix. We have optimized the method for elemental and Sr isotope analysis of the rock matrix as a proxy for the composition of the erupted melt, a magmatic liquid that cooled down to form the rock matrix upon eruption,” Ubide told Xinhua on Thursday. Ubide noted that volcano monitoring is a multidisciplinary effort and has improved dramatically in the last few decades. “Volcano observatories use a range of techniques including seismicity, ground deformation, and measurements of the chemistry of the gas coming out of the volcano to interpret the inner state of the volcano and generate forecasts for its activity,” said Ubide. “Measuring the composition of the erupted magma, including lava flows and ash particles, is also important as the chemistry of the magma affects its physical properties and eruptive style.” She pointed out that their study aims to provide swift information on the chemistry of erupted liquids. “The method is rapid and can isolate the liquid signature from that of the crystals that are recycled from the guts of the volcano. This could help track subtle variations in melt chemistry with time,” Ubide added.