Dense mixes of sulfur and metals such as gold and copper can catch a lift to the top of magma reservoirs on the undersides of rising steam bubbles, new research suggests.
After heating capsules of materials commonly found in magma, researchers discovered heavy droplets of sulfur and metal stuck to the bottom of floating water vapor bubbles. The mechanism may explain the large amounts of sulfur and metals expelled during volcanic eruptions and help miners pinpoint undiscovered ore deposits, the researchers propose February 23 in Nature Geoscience.