Tuesday Publication Post! 📖 This newest study reports the first direct TEM observation of nanolite formation within a synthetic andesitic melt which can be used to understand the nanoscale processes that govern volcanic behavior and complex silicate materials.
Using the #FusionAX system it was shown that iron oxidation, amorphous phase separation, and titanomagnetite nanocrystallization occur well above the glass transition temperature. Surprisingly, the resulting 30× increase in viscosity at eruptive temperatures cannot be explained by traditional models based solely on iron depletion or the presence of crystalline particles.
🔥 Rapid amorphous phase separation produces nanoscale Fe-rich domains
💠Titanomagnetite nanocrystals form within these domains
📈 Al-enriched shells develop around the growing nanolites as aluminum is expelled
🔬 This evolving nanoscale chemical heterogeneity drives major changes in the melt’s rheology
These findings highlight how nanoscale structural dynamics shape macroscopic flow properties, and ultimately influence eruption style and magma transport.
Want to read the entire work?
Find it here!
https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02424-9
