Molten rock moving up through a volcano’s plumbing prior to an eruption can heat up substantially, an unexpected finding that could affect scientists’ models of the eruption process.
GROWTH RINGS. Chemical analyses of layered crystals in congealed lava indicate that some magma gets hotter as it ascends through a volcano. J. Blundy and Cashman
Magma crystallizes as it slowly loses heat to the environment, a process in which minerals with the highest melting points are the first to solidify.
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