September 23, 2024 at 10:34 AM
It's definitely something we don't like to imagine, especially after knowing what can actually happen to the human body in such a situation.
Before we get into the details, let's recap what lava actually is and how hot it is.
Getty Images
The temperature of molten lava, also called magma, ranges from 700 to 1200 degrees Celsius.
It's hard to imagine how hot it is, but it's certainly hotter than anything we experience in our homes or around us.
Just to have some basis for comparison: the temperature of a fire burning in a fireplace is about 600 degrees Celsius.
With all that in mind, let's see what would happen to the human body if it tragically fell into a volcano.
Well, one thing is for sure: The story won’t have a happy ending. According to David Damby, a research chemist at the USGS Volcanology Center, the water in the object that fell into the volcano would likely boil off into steam.
“The water in the body would likely boil away into steam, while the lava would melt the body from the outside in.” Damby told The Verge,
Skin will be blistered before entering the lava, and clothing and hair will likely catch fire even then.
If you think you're going to drown, you're wrong. Volcanologist Adam Kent once He said To Digg you will be hovering in this position.
Lava may look like a liquid, but its consistency is not like water or other liquids; it actually solidifies very quickly.
“The gases in the body will likely expand rapidly and potentially cause a series of small explosions.” Kent added.
“I think it will be overcome very quickly by heat, both conductive and radiant.”
“If anyone has been near an active lava flow, they know that radiant heat can cause paralysis even at a great distance from the lava – just imagine the effect it can have on a body directly above the lava.”
Posts on X show that people were horrified after reading what could happen to them in such a situation.
Someone wrote: “What time does this happen? This sounds like torture!”
While another said: “How was I near the volcano? I wasn’t. But I could have ended up in such a place. Am I afraid of what could happen to me next? Yes, I am afraid.”
Meanwhile, a third reader added: “Well, this is the kind of good news I've been waiting for.”
Lava flows relatively slowly (Getty Images)
You might think that lava is the most dangerous part of a volcanic eruption, but that's not the case. Lava flows relatively slowly, which means that if you're nearby, you'll likely have a chance to escape.
But volcanic mud steam is different. It is a mudflow that threatens the environment of high volcanoes, and is composed of volcanic material and debris and exits the volcano very quickly, up to 100 km/h, so that it reaches the lower regions in a short time, where it loses its momentum.
At the same time, volcanoes release clouds of toxic gases and other debris, including huge rocks, that fly out of the volcano at high speeds.
