Magma is a high-temperature, silicate-dominated molten or partially molten substance generated within Earth’s crust and mantle by decompression melting, flux melting, or heat transfer. It consists of a continuous liquid phase containing dissolved volatiles (e.g., H₂O, CO₂, SO₂), suspended crystals, and sometimes entrained xenoliths. Its physicochemical properties—temperature, viscosity, density, and volatile content—are governed by bulk composition (mafic to felsic), pressure, and crystallinity. Magma behaves as a complex multiphase fluid, undergoing differentiation by fractional crystallization, assimilation, and mixing, and on ascent can evolve into eruptible magma that degasses and solidifies to form igneous rocks.
In a science lab on the fourth floor of UTSA's Multidisciplinary Studies Building, UTSA students engage in meticulous choreography around a glowing furnace, melting rocks to produce lava.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 24, 2025
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If you've ever held or beheld a diamond, there's a good chance it came from a kimberlite. Over 70% of the world's diamonds are mined from these unique volcanic structures. Yet despite decades of study, scientists are still ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 23, 2025
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114
Following a short break for the July 4th holiday, Perseverance drove westward to a site called "Westport," where the clay-bearing "Krokodillen" unit meets an olivine-bearing rock formation. It is possible that the olivine-rich ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 23, 2025
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70
A new study from the University of Florida analyzing moon rock samples from a Chinese lunar exploration mission is rewriting our understanding of how the moon is cooled.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 22, 2025
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Earth's continents may look fixed on a globe, but they've been drifting, splitting and reforming over billions of years—and they still are. Our new study reveals fresh evidence of rhythmic pulses of molten rock rising beneath ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 20, 2025
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When the island of Santorini was rattled by thousands of small earthquakes earlier this year, many people were left mystified about the source of the tremors.
Earth Sciences
Jun 30, 2025
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Mercury doesn't give up its secrets easily. The smallest planet in our solar system is also one of the most extreme—a sun-scorched, metal-rich world with a puzzling magnetic field and lavas unlike anything found on Earth.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 18, 2025
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When volcanoes are preparing to erupt, scientists rely on typical signs to warn people living nearby: deformation of the ground and earthquakes, caused by underground chambers filling up with magma and volcanic gas. But some ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 10, 2025
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A recent study has mathematically clarified how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. The researchers derived a new equation that characterizes the travel of these waves ...
Soft Matter
May 21, 2025
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Using advanced technology that analyzes tiny gas bubbles trapped in crystals, a team of scientists led by Cornell University has precisely mapped how magma storage evolves as Hawaiian volcanoes age.
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2025
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