Volcanoes are one of the most incredible phenomenon’s that nature has to offer, but you don’t
want to get too close to one because, well…you’ll see.
Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions.
I am Rebecca Felgate and today I am asking What Would Happen if you fell into a volcano?
I guess you guys are a sucker for punishment, hey!
You guys loved our What if you fell into a black hole video…so maybe you like learning
about extreme epic scenarios that may or may not lead to death, but you know, if that involves
a little scientific explanation, we’re happy to feed your curiosity.
Volcanoes are formed when Magma from the earth’s mantle pushes its way to the crust and through
to the earth’s surface.
When it breaks free, it erupts to create lava flow and ash that build up over time forming
mountainous peaks.
The more a volcano erupts, the bigger it gets.
Nowadays, we’re more able than ever to control how much damage a volcanic eruption would
do, with the biggest issue being the ash cloud.
Of course, back through history, volcanoes have really done some damage.
Mount Vesuvius, for example devastated an ancient civilization in the Roman city of
Pompeii.
SO, when we ask, What Would Happen if you fell into a volcano, most of you will think
I am talking about an active lava-y one, the kind a bond villain would fall into and meet
their poetic demise.
Of course, you may now realize that not all volcanoes are active and that if you fell
into a non active volcano, depending on distance fallen and crater accessibility, you might
do yourself some damage, but you won’t be smothered in fiery go and screaming NOOOO
as you sink into a hot hell, never to be found again, or so they do in the movies anyway.
BUT what if you fell into an active volcano?
WELL… it might not look like anything from a movie.
Okay, so let’s start with a common misconception about lava.
Lava isn’t really a liquid, it is a dense molten rock.
It is three times denser than water, which means that it flows, sure, but it doesn’t
trickle.
I am not sure if you have ever seen videos of Lava flow, but, it is possible, with the
right heatproof pair of shoes, to walk on it, leaving dents in the substance as you
step forward…
my point being, unless you fell from a great height and hit the lava with a great force,
it is unlikely you would sink into the gooey substance if you fell into a volcano.
The most likely scenario would be that you would land on the soft molten rock, which
can reach temperatures of 1 thousand two hundred degrees celcius.
If you were lucky, the fall and force would break your neck, so you wouldn’t have to
worry about the burning part…the burning part wouldn’t be nice.
As the molten rock is so hot, it would cause your skin to burst into flames.
For a body to fully reduce to ash, the heat of the volcano would need to be between 11
hundred to 15 hundred degrees centigrade, so it may not be hot enough to full incinerate
you.
If it was on the cooler side, your bones would likey remain on top of the molten hot lava,
charred and flaming.
Great!
If you did fall hard enough into the volcano to penetrate the thick surface, you’d die
almost instantaneously from the shock of the heat.
Your skin would melt off immediately and, well, we will save you the gory details, but,
you’d die, and your body would be incased in lava.
If you did hit hard enough to penetrate the surface of the lava, you could cause violent
outburst from within, with spewing liquid lava creating quite the scene.
If I had to fall into a volcano, this would be my preferred way to go….
Gotta go out with some fireworks, am I right !
The most crucial thing standing in your way when it comes to falling in one, is actually
getting close enough towards the mouth of a volcano.
Things start getting VERY hot near the mouth, with temperatures exceeding 500 Celsius near
the rim.
On top of that, there would be a lot of sulpher, methane, ammonia and carbon monoxide in the
air, making it likely you would choke before you got a chance to stare down into the fiery
pit.
If you were to get close enough to fall in, you’d need specialist equipment to even
get close…or…I guess precision drop via aircraft is a very distant and unlikely possibility.
My advice: Volcanoes are cool, but try not to get too close to their inner bellies….
Save that kind of madness for Gollum and pals.
So….
That is one question answered for you.
What would you like us to answer next….
Let me know in the comments section down below.
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I am Rebecca Felgate, your most amazing host, I’ll catch you in the next video, but for
now, stay curious, stay alert and never ever stop questioning.
If you want to continue your questioning binge, why not check out our biggest science questions
and our biggest what ifs.