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What would happen if you leaned a bit too far over the rim of a volcano and fell in? You would die, of course — but how?
Click through to find out.
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The question has garnered more scientific investigation than you might expect. As reported in December, lava's high density and resistance to flow suggest a person would smack onto the surface of a lava pit rather than sinking into it.
Related at Life's Little Mysteries: What Would Happen If You Fell into a Black Hole?
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So, instead of dying like Gollum, who dove into a bubbling volcano in the book and film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, a simple physics analysis indicates you would stay buoyed on top. This wouldn't save you from a gruesome fate, however: Resting on a bed of molten rock four times hotter than the broiler in an oven, you'd quickly burst into flames and burn to death.
Related at Life's Little Mysteries: Religion and Science: 6 Visions of Earth's Core
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But a newly surfaced video shows that a fallen person might, in fact, be able to penetrate the surface of a lava pit via inroads made by the gases given off by his or her burning flesh. [Smart Answers to Crazy Hypothetical Questions]
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In 2002, the Germany-based volcano researcher Richard Roscoe filmed a 66 pound (30 kilogram) bag of leftover food and other organic matter being thrown into the lava lake of Ethiopia's Erta Ale Volcano. The bag of waste fell 260 feet (80 meters) before striking the surface — and, as seen in the video, it ended up making a dent. As the bag burned, it caused violent outbursts of lava in an effect known as fountaining.
Related at Life's Little Mysteries: How Hot Is Hell?
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"It is frequently discussed whether it is possible to sink in lava. Due to its high density, a person would generally be expected to remain on the surface," Roscoe wrote in a video description on YouTube, where he recently posted the footage. "Indeed it is possible to briefly walk on certain types of lava if professional heat-protective clothing is worn (do not try yourself). However, the video shows that falling from a height, a person would be able to penetrate the crust of the lake and submerge in it."
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Roscoe suggested the lava's fountaining activity may have been induced by steam produced by the organic matter as it burned.
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What Would Happen If You Fell Into a Volcano?
Curious new insight sheds light on what might happen
Related: Earth
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31 Comments
honestly, i think that God would protect me and save me.
August 22 2012 at 3:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyyou know god protects fools and drunks.
i would make sure that i was drunk also just in case
Heads Up!! Don't fall in a volcano!
July 01 2012 at 10:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyReally? Really AOL?
Here's some more breaking news for you
"Look both ways before you cross the street'
and
'Be careful, you could put an eye out with that thing'
AOL stories are getting lame
What a remarkably encouraging and uplifting story.
July 01 2012 at 9:00 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyInteresting. And some very funny comments here! :D
July 01 2012 at 7:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyyou would explode like a moth in a open fire.there would be nothing left of you for obama to take and use
July 01 2012 at 7:47 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down Replyyou're an idiot, racist scum bag
July 01 2012 at 9:09 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplyObama to take and use??? What about the hypocrit republicans like Romney whose opinions change with the breeze and Ryan who can't seem to remember getting stimulus money for his constituents and criticizing Obama for doing the stimulus. It's no wonder why we don't need another Shrub republican in the White House.
August 22 2012 at 4:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyi think the lava will burn your skin till the point you die.
July 01 2012 at 7:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replydepends on the volcano i would guess...some volcanoes spew poison gas so you'd never make it far enough to fall in...others like the ones in hawaii ooze lava...
July 01 2012 at 6:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThey aren't asking you to figure it out or tell them... they are giving us a hypothetical situations and telling US what would happen.
July 01 2012 at 7:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIn the city of Pompei, archeologists have discovered bodies of Roman soldiers that were petrified like a sculpture in ruins discovered recently. Depending on the heat where the person falls into the lava, this person will burn up, and depending on the intensity of the heat, he/she will be formed into a statue. There has been several discoveries of mummies found from volcano burst, some still with their jewelry.. Perhaps they were hit by the ashes instead of lava.
July 01 2012 at 6:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI appreicate the time and effort someone took to share the comment "LIKE WHO GIVES A DAMN????" Rather than just ignoring this post, this person must be very curious, because he added extra question marks. With all the billions of trivial bits of information floating on the internet, this one apparently stood out as deserving special attention in regard to it's level of triviality. Perhaps he is passionately committed to eradicate trivial information on the internet, which would be a monumental task. I propose that the author of that email is indeed the one who gives a damn.
July 01 2012 at 6:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLava fumes are heated to over 3000 degrees F One whiff would be enough to kill a victim and would hit the lava virtually lifeless.
July 01 2012 at 6:28 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply