The Right (and Wrong) Way to Die When You Fall Into Lava
By Erik Klemetti
December 7, 2011
Wired EXCERPT:
This post is based on a question I was posed in my Introduction to Rocks and Minerals class. Now, mind you, it isnt a serious question, but when I thought about how to answer it, I realized how completely wrong everybody has been about it. The revelation was so clear I half expected the planet to be destroyed to make way for a bypass. So, before that happens, I thought a blog post might be a great way to explain why.
Ill start with the answer: Everyone is wrong about how people die when they fall into lava.
So, what was the question? This (slightly paraphrased): In that scene from Return of the King when Gollum falls into the pit of lava, would he have really just sunk into the lava like that?
At first, it seemed like an easy question. Well, not so much easy as obvious: yes. However, the more I thought about it, the more I though that pretty much every scene Ive ever noticed where somebody falls into lava and dies has got to be wrong. Some are just straight out obvious to explain like in Volcano when the subway maintenance director jumps from the subway car that is being inundated by lava after he saved the unconscious subway driver. The guy jumps from the subway, but not far enough to miss landing in maybe 6 inches of basaltic lava and he proceeds to more or less melt away into the lava like the Wicked Witch of the West. Not likely. Maybe some very severe burns, maybe lost feet (think Darth Vader), but no wholesale melting like that.
However, the death of Gollum at the end of Return of the King got me thinking. Gollum, if you remember, dove into the lava of Mount Doom after his precious ring was thrown in he proceeds to sink into the lava (see below) and leaves the ring floating on the lava until it melts away. Guess what? Sinking into lava just will not happen if youre a human (or remotely human). Youd need to be a Terminator to sink into molten rock/metal and heres why.
END EXCERPT
Interesting! Go to the link to find out why Gollum wouldn't have sank.
By Erik Klemetti
December 7, 2011
Wired EXCERPT:
This post is based on a question I was posed in my Introduction to Rocks and Minerals class. Now, mind you, it isnt a serious question, but when I thought about how to answer it, I realized how completely wrong everybody has been about it. The revelation was so clear I half expected the planet to be destroyed to make way for a bypass. So, before that happens, I thought a blog post might be a great way to explain why.
Ill start with the answer: Everyone is wrong about how people die when they fall into lava.
So, what was the question? This (slightly paraphrased): In that scene from Return of the King when Gollum falls into the pit of lava, would he have really just sunk into the lava like that?
At first, it seemed like an easy question. Well, not so much easy as obvious: yes. However, the more I thought about it, the more I though that pretty much every scene Ive ever noticed where somebody falls into lava and dies has got to be wrong. Some are just straight out obvious to explain like in Volcano when the subway maintenance director jumps from the subway car that is being inundated by lava after he saved the unconscious subway driver. The guy jumps from the subway, but not far enough to miss landing in maybe 6 inches of basaltic lava and he proceeds to more or less melt away into the lava like the Wicked Witch of the West. Not likely. Maybe some very severe burns, maybe lost feet (think Darth Vader), but no wholesale melting like that.
However, the death of Gollum at the end of Return of the King got me thinking. Gollum, if you remember, dove into the lava of Mount Doom after his precious ring was thrown in he proceeds to sink into the lava (see below) and leaves the ring floating on the lava until it melts away. Guess what? Sinking into lava just will not happen if youre a human (or remotely human). Youd need to be a Terminator to sink into molten rock/metal and heres why.
END EXCERPT
Interesting! Go to the link to find out why Gollum wouldn't have sank.
