Superheated magma identified as key driver of towering lava fountains

Beneath the spectacle of lava fountains rising hundreds of feet into the sky lies a deceptively simple truth: temperature matters more than we knew. New research has identified superheated magma — molten rock exceeding typical eruption temperatures — as the primary engine behind these dramatic volcanic displays, reshaping decades of scientific thinking that had centered on gas pressure and chemical composition. The finding carries weight beyond the laboratory, offering communities near active volcanoes the prospect of earlier, more precise warnings as scientists work to weave this thermal insi