Ultrasonic treatment is an effective method for dispersing nanoparticles during the manufacturing of light weight metal matrix nanocomposite (LWMMNC). However, the exact deagglomeration mechanisms during the treatment were difficult to observe owning to opaque metal melt and containers. Here, an analogue experiment was carried out in solution with different surface tension to study the ultrasonication induced deagglomeration mechanisms and the influence of ultrasonication parameters and surface tension of the melt. Particle image velocimetry was applied to convert the captured images into average streaming speeds distribution. These data allowed direct comparison with modelling results. For images captured at higher frame rates and magnification, different patterns of deagglomeration were identified, and categorized based on different stages of cavitation zone development and for regions inside or outside the cavitation zone. The results obtained and discussed in this paper can be also relevant to a wide range of carbonaceous and other high aspect ratio nanomaterials.