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Video Of The Week- It IS Possible To Walk On Lava!
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By Shira Shans
CCSS NAS-6 370 Words 3-Minute Listen
In 2012, a video of a 'lava art craft walker' taking five steps against flowing lava on Sicily's Mount Etna, was posted on YouTube. Not surprisingly, it caused many viewers to question if a feat like that was even possible. Now, a geologist explains how it could have been done though he also warns that one should never try it, because a slight stumble and fall into the molten lava whose temperature ranges from 700°C to 1200°C, could result in the water inside the human body to vaporize, and cause it to 'explode from within'!
Erik Klemetti an Assistant Professor of Geology at Ohio's Denison University, unveiled his thesis in his volcano 'Eruptions blog' about two weeks ago, after observing the 40 second video clip closely. According to the expert, the lava the man is sprinting up has the normal dark crust that forms quickly because of the temperature differential between it and the outside air. However in this case it appears to be stony and rough - Something that scientists refer to as a'a lava, which unlike the fast flowing smooth unbroken lava flow dubbed panoehoe is 'walkable'. That's because it is slightly more viscous than water, which means it can hold light amounts of pressure for short periods of time, before collapsing.
But the hard looking crust can be also be very deceptive because it is not uniform and could be dangerously thin in certain areas. Another thing that may have helped is that it appeared to have been done in a confined lava flow area that was away from the volcano vent. However, despite all these 'positive' factors, there was nothing safe about this stunt. And while the man survived, as you can see on his last step, his footwear caught on fire, something the geologist attributes to the massive heat from the flow.
Erik therefore concludes that this walk is not a trick but something that is doable if, it is on the right kind of lava, the walker is quick and light on his step and most important of all, has luck on his side - So in other words, do not even think of trying it, if you ever come this close to an erupting volcano!
Resources: Dailymail.co.uk, wired.co.uk
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Shans, Shira. "Video Of The Week- It IS Possible To Walk On Lava!." DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 01 Jul, 2013, www.dogonews.com/2013/7/1/video-of-the-week-it-is-possible-to-walk-on-lava. Accessed 20 Jan. 2021.
Shans, Shira. "Video Of The Week- It IS Possible To Walk On Lava!." DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 01 Jul, 2013, Web. 20 Jan. 2021.
Shans, S. (2013, July 1). Video Of The Week- It IS Possible To Walk On Lava!. Retrieved 2021, January 20, from https://www.dogonews.com/2013/7/1/video-of-the-week-it-is-possible-to-walk-on-lava
Shans, Shira. "Video Of The Week- It IS Possible To Walk On Lava!." DOGOnews. July 1, 2013. Accessed January 20, 2021. https://www.dogonews.com/2013/7/1/video-of-the-week-it-is-possible-to-walk-on-lava.
Mount Etna, Sicily
View Comments332
therandomasianFriday, May 1, 2020 at 2:59 pm
legolover100Monday, February 11, 2019 at 1:08 pm
SupMonday, October 30, 2017 at 8:03 am
super cool dude
lopy456Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 12:47 pm
cash me outside how bought dat
jswallowsWednesday, May 3, 2017 at 11:15 am
17 through 18 seconds did that just make a park
ashspikachu03Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 11:17 am
WHY CANT THEY DO THAT IN VIDEO GAMES??????
kawaiilamaThursday, April 27, 2017 at 11:13 am
omg!!!!!!!!! that was tots cool
fablifeparisWednesday, April 19, 2017 at 9:03 am
joshThursday, March 23, 2017 at 7:55 am
it is cool
hiThursday, March 23, 2017 at 7:55 am
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