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98495
From: Earthstone, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Tourist spotted on top of erupting volcano in Iceland
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Every time you think people can't be that stupid, someone comes around the corner and proves you wrong. |
98499
From: ao, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Tourist spotted on top of erupting volcano in Iceland
URL: Geologist in Satisfactory Condition After Falling Thigh-Deep Into Lava at Volcano
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Having climbed erupting volcanoes for decades it’s easy to see how that guy ended up where he was filmed. And as easy to imagine several scenarios in which he could die, or be horribly hurt. And, obviously, he was able to navigate his trip to return to safety unharmed. But oh my the possible outcomes that he avoided. Part of what I did during the years I was a part of the active monitoring team here in Hawaii is to take the lava’s temperature repeatedly, every week, for over a decade. This required taking a thermometer, a thermocouple, and inserting it in molten lava and keeping it there for up to a minute with a meter, connected to the thermocouple by a wire, calibrated to the temperature of the lava. This required two people, one to hold the meter and another to insert the probe. And our purpose was always to get a temp from as close to the erupting vent as possible. These temps were used, along with samples of the same lava taken and when brought back to the lab studied to determine the state of the evolving mineralogy. Btw, the temperature of molten lava here is about 2,140 degrees Fahrenheit (1,170 degrees Celsius) All of that, as a core part of what I did during my visits to the eruptions here, put me in situations similar, if not more harrowing, then seen in the footage here. And it certainly was with as much, if not more peril than seen here. In my earliest years with the USGS I worked with a geologist, George Ulrich, who is that classic example of a rock hammer in one hand and magnify glass in the other old school petrologists. He was my mentor, and taught me the first things I needed to know to work with molten lava. George became famous because, in the summer of 1985, he fell into a river of lava, literally in molten lava up to his middle thighs. Imagine that. So yeah, that guy climbing on that cone in Iceland is a fool.. but oh my I can understand the draw that took him from wherever he was in relative safety to that point on the rim of that tephra cone. Thankfully he returns. Here’s a little blurb I found about George.. From the link above.. June 14, 1985 12 AM PT ASSOCIATED PRESS VOLCANO, Hawaii — A geologist was listed in satisfactory condition Thursday after falling thigh-deep into lava at Kilauea Volcano while dressed in a heat-resistant suit, authorities said. George Ulrich was taking samples at a vent site Wednesday afternoon when congealed lava crust broke beneath him, plunging him into 2,000-degree molten rock, said Reggie Okamura, acting scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Ulrich is a staff geologist at the observatory. “There was another guy there, and he pulled him out in a matter of about five seconds,” Okamura said. “We were fortunate. A helicopter was just landing, and they were able to get him out fast.” He was taken to Hilo Hospital, where he was treated for first-, second- and third- degree burns. Kilauea Volcano has been erupting sporadically since January, 1983. Scientists went to the vent site after lava was seen gurgling in the vent and slightly spilling over, Okamura said. Scientists were unsure whether the low-level activity would escalate. The zone where Ulrich was working is in a remote, roadless area about 12 miles from Kilauea’s summit. Ulrich, 51, was pulled from the lava by Dario Tedesco, a visiting Italian geochemist. |
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98496
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Tourist spotted on top of erupting volcano in Iceland
| here's a pic ao shot of me at puu'oo in the 80s...he was working for the usgs as a photographer at the time...it was an exhilarating day! |
98497
From: Redhart, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Tourist spotted on top of erupting volcano in Iceland
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I've been to pu u o o, too. Thing is, you're with someone who actually knows what they're doing. We had USGS people all around as well as park rangers advising what was safe and what was not. Posted signs about dangerous areas that no one should enter (like fresh lava beds that looked solid, but weren't completely solid yet). This tourist walked across fresh lava beds still hot..a foot could have collapsed through the crust. Those fumes are poisonous..you better know which way the wind is blowing, or have a good respirator on hand in case they change before you can get back. There's a big difference in being part of a USGS team who understands the dangers, and being a dumb tourist who just stomps in going "hey guys, watch this" (often the last words of the stupid). |
Responses:
[98498]
98498
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Tourist spotted on top of erupting volcano in Iceland
| yes...volcanoes are dangerous...even for those with knowledge of them...at the time, i was young and even stupider and willing to take the risks to experience that day...not for the faint of heart... |
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