What is the origin of the word lava?
The word lava comes from the Italian word for fire. Its true nature was only understood after centuries of watching it destroy villages and reshape continents.
Questions about Lava
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What temperatures do silicate lavas erupt at?
Mafic lavas generally erupt at temperatures of 1,000 to 1,200 degrees Celsius. Ultramafic lavas such as komatiite have eruption temperatures thought to have been as high as 1,600 degrees Celsius.
Which volcano produces carbonatite lavas?
Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania is the sole example of an active carbonatite volcano. These lavas are extremely fluid with measured temperatures of 500 to 600 degrees Celsius.
When did the Nyiragongo lava flow disaster occur?
The Nyiragongo disaster occurred on the night of the 10th of January 1977 in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A crater wall was breached and a fluid lava lake drained out in under an hour.
How do lava flows form columnar jointing?
As lava cools, it fractures into five- or six-sided columns in the lower part of the flow called the colonnade. The uppermost parts of the flow show irregular downward-splaying fractures known as the entablature.