Is it cold at the top of a volcano?
Is it cold at the top of a volcano? At the Kilauea summit, temperatures may be 12 to 15 degrees cooler than at sea level. The coastal plain at the end of Chain of Craters Road is often hot, dry, and windy. At the nearly 14,000-foot summit of Mauna Loa, winter temperatures and snow are a possibility during any season.
Would you sink if you fell into lava?
Lava is between 100,000 and 1.1 million times more viscous than that of water, based on temperature and silica content. It also is three times more dense than water, Live Science reports. That means falling into a pit of lava is like falling into a pool filled with peanut butter - you'd float on top.
How close can a human get to lava?
The answer… really really close. If the lava is pooling or advancing slowly, you can stand right next to it to get a shot. You can not stand there long…you may have to get your shot and quickly retreat…but you can get very close.
Is the top of a volcano hot?
The lava in the main vent is extremely hot (probably about 1800 degrees F.) The lava on top cools and hardens because the air that it is in contact with is so much cooler than the lava.