KLARA

The project aims to investigate the crystallization and degassing of silicic melts under subaerial conditions. The work will be carried out both through field studies of effusive eruptions at some of the world’s major volcanic systems (Sicily, Hawaii, Japan, the Andes) and through an experimental approach designed to reproduce the crystallization pathways of lava flows.

To this end, representative lava samples ranging in composition from basaltic to rhyolitic will be selected and characterized using geochemical and petrographic techniques. Crystallization and solidification processes will then be studied through high-temperature 4D X-ray microtomography experiments, enabling real-time determination of crystal growth rates under variable cooling rates and volatile contents.

Finally, lava viscosity evolution will be modelled using well-established methods available in the literature. The results will improve our understanding of degassing–cooling–crystallization processes in lava flows and will allow reconstruction of the rheological evolution during lava emplacement.

Constraints on lava crystallization dynamics will contribute to improved predictions of lava flow length during large effusive eruptions, with a strong impact on hazard assessment in volcanic regions prone to lava inundation.