X

What happens when lava meets ice?

It's the ultimate battle between two extremes of nature. Which one will emerge victorious?

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
See full bio
Michelle Starr

It's the ultimate battle between two extremes of nature. Which one will emerge victorious?

(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)

A collaboration between sculptor Bob Wysocki (assistant professor, Department of Art) and geologist Jeff Karson (professor, Department of Earth Sciences) from the Syracuse University Lava Project aims examine lava from both a scientific and artistic perspective, which are both admirable goals.

As reported by DVICE, the team staged man-made basaltic lava flows, poured down a specially built funnel, for students and the public.

The video below shows what happens when 276 kilograms of 1371-degree-Celsius lava is poured over a 1.8-metre bed of ice on a day that reached a top temperature of -11 degrees Celsius. Brrr! Standing next to a lava flow suddenly sounds like a good idea.

You can see what happened in the video below. Hint: there was a lot of hissing. And steam.

Lava Pour No. 5 from robert wysocki on Vimeo.