Recent volcanic activity at Mount Agung in eastern Bali [image credit: BBC]
Any kind of advance in understanding volcanic processes has to be welcomed. Sci-News reporting.
Tiny crystals of clinopyroxenes that form deep in volcanoes may be the key for advance warnings before volcanic eruptions, according to a team of vulcanologists from the University of Queensland, Australia, and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
“Our research provided new information that could lead to more effective evacuations and warning communications,” said University of Queensland vulcanologist Dr. Teresa Ubide.
“This could signal good news for the almost one in 10 people around the world who live within 100 km of an active volcano.”
Dr. Ubide and her colleague, Professor Balz Kamber, tracked eruptions, their triggers and time scales at Mount Etna, on Sicily in Italy, Europe’s most active volcano.
They used a new laser technique to examine the composition of tiny clinopyroxene crystals forming deep in the volcano. And what they discovered is that the crystals contain a memory in the form of growth layers that look similar to tree rings.
Reading the history from these layers may lead to more effective volcanic hazard monitoring, including for dormant volcanoes.
“The crystals are created when molten rock — magma — from up to 30 km beneath a volcano starts to move upwards towards the Earth’s surface,” the researchers explained.
“They are carried in the erupting magma, and they often continue to grow as they are being transported. Importantly, they also change in composition on their way to the surface.”
“They effectively ‘record’ the processes that happen deep in the volcano right before the eruption starts,” Dr. Ubide noted.
“We’ve found by studying these crystals in a specific volcano that, when new magma arrives at depth, up to 90% of the time it can trigger an eruption, and within only two weeks.”
From this, the vulcanologists hope to work out how to better monitor volcanoes — for instance, at what depths underground to look for signs of magma movement before an eruption.
Continued here.
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Study: Volcanic crystals as time capsules of eruption history
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
The study itself was based on data from Mount Etna
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/collections/mount_etna
Study: Here we show that novel high-resolution trace element images of clinopyroxene track eruption triggers and timescales at Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy).
http://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02274-w
How do they propose to collect samples from magma up to 30km below the surface?
Volcanos, earthquakes: Is the ‘Ring of Fire’ alight?
January 26, 2018
A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what’s the link?
The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Here is what the experts say:
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2018-01-volcanos-earthquakes.html
Japan volcano eruption: Several hurt as avalanche engulfs skiers at Japanese resort
http://www.financialexpress.com/photos/business-gallery/1027296/japan-volcano-eruption-several-hurt-as-avalanche-engulfs-skiers-at-japanese-resort-see-pictures/
Massive magnitude 7.9 quake off Alaska this week caused water levels to change in wells 3,800 miles away in FLORIDA, experts reveal
USGS has revealed two of its wells in Florida detected changes from the quake
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In wells near Ft. Lauderdale and at Blue Springs, levels either rose or dropped
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According to the experts, this activity is common after powerful earthquakes
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5314423/Quake-Alaska-caused-water-levels-change-FLORIDA.html