00:04Scientists have discovered that seemingly boring Galapagos volcanoes may be hiding an
00:08explosive secret. They found volcanoes that create small basaltic lava eruptions hide
00:13chemically diverse magmas underground, and the team led by a Trinity College Dublin researcher
00:18found that some have the potential to produce explosive activity. Volcanoes on the Galapagos
00:24islands consistently erupt slow-moving lava flows, which aren't as dangerous as explosive
00:29eruptions. But scientists studied two volcanoes with uniform compositions that have only produced
00:34these lava flows. By analyzing the microscopic crystals in the lavas, they reconstructed the
00:40properties of magmas underground, and found that they are very diverse and have compositions similar
00:45to explosive eruptions. The team thinks the amount of magma that flushes through the ground is high
00:50enough to overprint chemical diversity. Scientists say the underground magma could become mobile,
00:56causing unexpected changes in activity, but there's no sign these volcanoes will transition
01:01anytime soon. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
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