International team optimizes laser technology to better predict volcanic eruptions

An international team of researchers in Australia and Spain has optimized a laser technology that can read the chemical composition of magma, which will help predict volcanic behavior.

According to the study, which was recently published in the journal Science Advances, researchers tried a method called Laser ablative inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry to analyze lava samples from the 2021 eruption of the La Palma volcano in Spain's Canary Islands.

By using the laser power method, the team was able to detect changes in lava chemistry associated with earthquakes and changes in sulfur dioxide emissions, as well as eruption patterns and resulting hazards.

In the view of lead author Teresa Ubide, Associate professor at the University of Queensland, the technique provides clearer data on chemical changes within volcanic magma, which is crucial for predicting eruption patterns and changes.

Ubaid sees magma as the "computer code" for volcanoes, and magma is made up of liquid melts, gases and crystals that combine inside a volcano. Because so many interfering crystals make it difficult to observe the chemical composition of the magma, the researchers blasted the rock matrix with lasers, much like those used in eye surgery.

"The technique is widely used in earth sciences, but is not usually used to analyze volcanic substrates. We optimized the method of elemental and strontium isotope analysis of the rock matrix as a representative of the composition of the eruption melt, which is a rock matrix formed when cooled to volcanic eruptions, "Ubid told Xinhua on Thursday.

Ubid noted that volcano monitoring is a multidisciplinary effort that has made significant progress over the past few decades.

"The Volcano Observatory uses a range of techniques, including measurements of seismic activity, ground deformation and the chemical composition of volcanic gases, to interpret the internal state of the volcano and make predictions about its activity," Ubid said.

"Measuring the composition of erupting magma, including lava flows and ash particles, is also important because the chemistry of a magma affects its physical properties and how it erupts."

She noted that their study aims to provide quick information about the chemical composition of the erupting liquid.

"The method is fast and can separate the characteristics of the liquid from those of the crystals recovered from inside the volcano. This can help track subtle changes in melting chemistry over time, "Ubaid added.

Source: Laser Network