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View article: Magmatic immiscibility provides phosphate for prebiotic chemistry
Magmatic immiscibility provides phosphate for prebiotic chemistry Open
Phosphorus is essential for extant and nascent life. However, phosphate’s low terrestrial abundance and the poor aqueous solubility of phosphorus-bearing minerals pose major hurdles for prebiotic chemistry. Here, we show that silicate-phos…
View article: Influence of aquifer lithology on priming conditions and eruptive mechanisms in large-scale hydrothermal eruptions
Influence of aquifer lithology on priming conditions and eruptive mechanisms in large-scale hydrothermal eruptions Open
Large-scale hydrothermal eruptions, although rare, pose significant hazards in geothermal regions. While aquifer lithology is known to influence fluid dynamics and eruption initiation for smaller-scale events, systematic studies linking li…
View article: Impact of alteration and soil properties on geothermal gas emissions at Rotokawa, New Zealand
Impact of alteration and soil properties on geothermal gas emissions at Rotokawa, New Zealand Open
The surface flux of geothermal gases is driven by diffusion and advection, influenced by soil temperature, steam-heated ground, seismic activity, as well as seasonal or meteorological variations. Soil permeability, shaped by natural and an…
View article: Immiscible basaltic glasses – a prebiotic phosphate source
Immiscible basaltic glasses – a prebiotic phosphate source Open
Phosphorus is an essential element of life, as observable in modern life forms that have perfected phosphorus accumulation and recycling. Prebiotic chemistry, on the other hand, was likely challenged by the low abundance and poor solubilit…
View article: Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistry
Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistry Open
Phosphorus is an essential building block of life, likely since its beginning. Despite this importance for prebiotic chemistry, phosphorus was scarce in Earth’s rock record and mainly bound in poorly soluble minerals, with the calcium-phos…
View article: On the nature of the earliest known lifeforms
On the nature of the earliest known lifeforms Open
Microfossils from the Paleoarchean Eon are the oldest known evidence of life. Despite their significance in understanding the history of life on Earth, any interpretation of the nature of these microfossils has been a point of contention a…
View article: Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistry
Heat flows solubilize apatite to boost phosphate availability for prebiotic chemistry Open
Phosphorus is an essential building block of the most prominent biomolecules, such as polynucleic acids, and has likely played that role since the beginning of life. Despite this importance for prebiotic chemistry, phosphate could not be s…
View article: The rheology of rhyolite magma from the IDDP-1 borehole and Hrafntinnuhryggur (Krafla, Iceland) with implications for geothermal drilling
The rheology of rhyolite magma from the IDDP-1 borehole and Hrafntinnuhryggur (Krafla, Iceland) with implications for geothermal drilling Open
Changes in rhyolite melt viscosity during magma decompression and degassing exert a first order control on ascent through the crust and volcanic eruption style. These changes have as yet unknown hazard implications for geothermal drilling …
View article: Subsurface soil and lithology alteration shaping degassing at Krafla caldera, Iceland
Subsurface soil and lithology alteration shaping degassing at Krafla caldera, Iceland Open
Alteration by rock-fluid interaction can significantly impact rock and soil properties influencing fluid flow within hydrothermal aquifers, and shaping surface features and degassing in geothermal settings over time. Hence, the understandi…
View article: The role of pre-eruptive bubble characteristics in modulating andesitic magma fragmentation
The role of pre-eruptive bubble characteristics in modulating andesitic magma fragmentation Open
Various processes involving nucleation, growth, and interaction of bubbles occur as water-rich magma —e.g., of andesitic composition— ascends through a volcanic conduit towards shallower depths. These mechanisms significantly a…
View article: Atmosphere injection of sea salts during the 15 January 2022 submarine eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga
Atmosphere injection of sea salts during the 15 January 2022 submarine eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga Open
The 15 January 2022 submarine eruption at Hunga volcano was the most explosive volcanic eruption in 140 years. It involved exceptional magma and seawater interaction throughout the entire submarine caldera collapse. The submarine volcanic …
View article: Oxide nanolitisation-induced melt iron extraction causes viscosity jumps and enhanced explosivity in silicic magma
Oxide nanolitisation-induced melt iron extraction causes viscosity jumps and enhanced explosivity in silicic magma Open
Explosivity in erupting volcanoes is controlled by the degassing dynamics and the viscosity of the ascending magma in the conduit. Magma crystallisation enhances both heterogeneous bubble nucleation and increases in magma bulk viscosity. N…
View article: Nanoscale silicate melt textures determine volcanic ash surface chemistry
Nanoscale silicate melt textures determine volcanic ash surface chemistry Open
Explosive volcanic eruptions produce vast quantities of silicate ash, whose surfaces are subsequently altered during atmospheric transit. These altered surfaces mediate environmental interactions, including atmospheric ice nucleation, and …
View article: Oxide nanolitisation-induced melt iron extraction causes viscosity jumps and enhanced explosivity in silicic magma
Oxide nanolitisation-induced melt iron extraction causes viscosity jumps and enhanced explosivity in silicic magma Open
File contains source data for all magnetic, calorimetric, Raman spectroscopy and viscosity analyses performed. Data are divided by tabs accordingly within the file. For details of the methods and context please see the original paper.
View article: gas-tight shock tube apparatus for laboratory volcanic lightning under varying atmospheric conditions
gas-tight shock tube apparatus for laboratory volcanic lightning under varying atmospheric conditions Open
Explosive volcanic eruptions generate electrical discharges, a phenomenon termed volcanic lightning (VL). VL is increasingly well-investigated and monitored for modern eruptions, however volcanism has been active since Earth’s origin. Thus…
View article: Influence of Silicate Rock Glass Compositions on the Efficacy of Prebiotic RNA Polymerization Reactions: The Case of 3’,5’ Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate
Influence of Silicate Rock Glass Compositions on the Efficacy of Prebiotic RNA Polymerization Reactions: The Case of 3’,5’ Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Open
Silicate glasses are ubiquitous on terrestrial planets wherever molten rock – generated by volcanism or impacts – is quenched by air or water. Hence, they provided ready and abundant reactive solid surfaces for prebiotic chemistry on the e…
View article: Natural processes leading to large, pre-historic hydrothermal eruptions in geothermal areas: Rotokawa geothermal field, New Zealand
Natural processes leading to large, pre-historic hydrothermal eruptions in geothermal areas: Rotokawa geothermal field, New Zealand Open
Hydrothermal eruptions are the most violent and hazardous phenomena within geothermal fields. The largest of these may produce kilometer-sized craters and breccia deposits that are tens of meters thick. The geological and hydrothermal prim…
View article: Investigation of olivine's thermostability in an oxidized and reduced atmosphere
Investigation of olivine's thermostability in an oxidized and reduced atmosphere Open
Olivine is an abundant phase of ultramafic and mafic rocks in the earth's crust and mantle. Stony meteorites or stony-iron meteorites like pallasites also contain a lot of extraterrestrial olivines. During atmosphere entry olivine-containi…
View article: Experimental volcanic lightning under conditions relevant to the early Earth: Discharges as a possible prebiotic synthesis mechanism
Experimental volcanic lightning under conditions relevant to the early Earth: Discharges as a possible prebiotic synthesis mechanism Open
Far from being a recent development of the Earth System, volcanism has accompanied the Earth, terrestrial planets and countless exoplanets since their origins. Volcanism is a material mechanism whereby planets evolve to their differentiate…
View article: Reactive phosphorus via simulated lightning discharge: A role for fulgurites in pre-biotic chemistry
Reactive phosphorus via simulated lightning discharge: A role for fulgurites in pre-biotic chemistry Open
Apatite is the most common phosphorus-bearing mineral in primary igneous rocks. Despite its early and ubiquitous presence in such rocks at the Earth's surface, its phosphorus exhibits a low reactivity in prebiotic chemosynthesis. This situ…
View article: Linking top and subsoil types, alteration and degassing processes at Rotokawa geothermal field, New Zealand
Linking top and subsoil types, alteration and degassing processes at Rotokawa geothermal field, New Zealand Open
Surface geothermal expressions such as mud pools, fumaroles, mineral deposits, collapse pits, and hydrothermal eruption craters vary in scale and type over space and time. The evolution in space and time of these surficial thermal features…
View article: Electric Discharge in Erupting Mud
Electric Discharge in Erupting Mud Open
Self‐ignition during the explosive eruption of mud volcanoes can create flames that in some cases reach heights that exceed hundreds of meters. To study the controls on electrical discharge in natural mud, we performed laboratory experimen…
View article: The Influence of Grain Size Distribution on Laboratory‐Generated Volcanic Lightning
The Influence of Grain Size Distribution on Laboratory‐Generated Volcanic Lightning Open
Over the last decades, remote observation tools and models have been developed to improve the forecasting of ash‐rich volcanic plumes. One challenge in these forecasts is knowing the properties at the vent, including the mass eruption rate…
View article: Phreatic and Hydrothermal Eruptions: From Overlooked to Looking Over
Phreatic and Hydrothermal Eruptions: From Overlooked to Looking Over Open
Over the last decade, field investigations, laboratory experiments, geophysical exploration and petrological, geochemical and numerical modelling have provided insight into the mechanisms of phreatic and hydrothermal eruptions. These erupt…