Tajogaite Volcano Study Reveals Superheated Magma Mechanics

Scientists analyzing the September‑2021 eruption of the Tajogaite volcano on La Palma have identified a superheating phenomenon that can delay magma crystallisation for hours. Laboratory work on 80 rock samples showed that normal magma begins to crystallise within about 20 minutes, whereas superheated magma may take more than eight hours, keeping the melt fluid and allowing gases to build up, which can turn an effusive flow into an explosive ash column.

Research teams from the University of Manchester, the University of La Laguna, Spain’s CSIC, the Instituto Geográfico Nacional and other institutes traced the magma system’s re‑activation to a decade‑plus of silent uplift before the eruption, with no detectable seismic precursors. The findings give volcanologists new parameters for assessing eruption style and hazard potential in similar volcanic settings.