Scientists wanted to figure out why volcanoes on the Galapagos Islands were so "boring," but instead, the team found they are hiding an explosive secret.
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00:04 Scientists have discovered that seemingly boring Galapagos volcanoes may be hiding an
00:08 explosive secret.
00:09 They found volcanoes that create small, basaltic lava eruptions hide chemically diverse magmas
00:15 underground, and the team led by a Trinity College Dublin researcher found that some
00:19 have the potential to produce explosive activity.
00:23 Volcanoes on the Galapagos Islands consistently erupt slow-moving lava flows, which aren't
00:27 as dangerous as explosive eruptions.
00:30 But scientists studied two volcanoes with uniform compositions that have only produced
00:34 these lava flows.
00:36 By analyzing the microscopic crystals in the lavas, they reconstructed the properties of
00:40 magmas underground, and found that they are very diverse and have compositions similar
00:45 to explosive eruptions.
00:47 The team thinks the amount of magma that flushes through the ground is high enough to overprint
00:51 chemical diversity.
00:53 Scientists say the underground magma could become mobile, causing unexpected changes
00:57 in activity, but there's no sign these volcanoes will transition anytime soon.
01:02 The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
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