If You See This Steaming Lump, Run Away Fast

Bright Side

Volcanic eruptions are getting more active lately, and with that comes a wild danger called lava bombs. These are giant, glowing chunks of molten rock that volcanoes literally hurl into the air. They can fly for miles and smash into anything—like in 2018, when one exploded through a tourist boat in Hawaii and injured a bunch of people. Scientists sometimes call them “gray spheres,” and knowing about them could actually save your life if you’re near a volcano. The scary part? They don’t just fall—they fly, making them super unpredictable. So if a volcano's rumbling, keep your distance, because lava bombs turn the sky into a firestorm.  Credit: CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0: Montserrat: By giggel, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54500777 Plymouth sinking: By giggel, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54500760 Plymouth sinking 2: By giggel, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54500760 CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0: Pele’s hair NASA: By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/wZhrdo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51482100 Pele's hair volcano: By James St. John - https://flic.kr/p/oTuHp6, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95528384 CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/: Volcanic bombs: By Momotarou2012, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23188796 Ribbon bomb: By Photaro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30057839 National Park of Timanfaya: By Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17009183 Erta Ale-Cheveux de Pelé: By Ji-Elle, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31134498 Eyjafjallajökull: By Terje Sørgjerd, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17925828 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0: Bomba basáltica: By Mike Peel, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128227535 Hs_0625a-0002-001: By Frank A. Perret/ETH Library Zurich, http://doi.org/10.3932/ethz-a-000107091 Book-Hawaii-Vtorov-286: By Ivtorov, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67058417 Book-Hawaii-Vtorov-peletears: By Ivtorov, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67919436 Pele's hair of Hawaii: By Cm3826, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45664307 Pele's hair: By Cm3826, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45664239 Soufrière Hills: By Andrew Shiva, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24656189 CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0: Dark rock with lava: By JaimeBoillot/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/69PCo Lava 01 Procedural Material: By Game Piggd/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/oUoGG La Soufriere Pyroclastic Flow Danger: By ERC (Produced by JRC of the European Commission)- https://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/Maps#/maps/3688, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=103539911 Erupting volcano: By Walter Araujo/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/oKQIZ Motserrat damage: By Wailunip, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4168173 Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00See this weird grayish lump lying on the ground and steaming?

00:04Wow, what are you waiting for?

00:06Run as fast as you can!

00:08It can burst right into your face at any moment, leading to horrifying consequences.

00:13A disaster is unfolding in front of your eyes.

00:16At first, the ground starts trembling.

00:18A deep rumbling sound echoed through the valley.

00:21Then, boom, the volcano explodes, hurling glowing rocks high into the sky.

00:26Among them is a blob of molten rock, fresh from the Earth's fiery depths.

00:32As it's soaring, the blob begins to change.

00:35The cold air wraps around it, hardening its outer layer, while the inside remains hot and gooey.

00:41Some of its neighbors are different.

00:42Some have gas bubbles trapped inside.

00:45Others have solid rock cores, and a few stretch into long, twisting ribbons.

00:50The biggest of these flying blobs are as large as a small car.

00:53For 10 long seconds, the lava blob is flying and twisting and tumbling.

00:59Below, people begin to realize the extent of the danger and start scattering.

01:03It's useless.

01:05Flying blobs can travel for miles, up to 6 miles away to be precise.

01:09Then, the moment comes.

01:11The lava blob slams into the ground.

01:13Some of its smaller companions have cooled completely and landed with a thud.

01:17But this one is still burning inside a crystalline container called a bleb.

01:22As it strikes the Earth, its hard shell cracks, and molten lava oozes out, sizzling and steaming, spreading out like a giant, fiery pancake.

01:32The eruption has passed, but the danger remains.

01:35Lava bombs, though fascinating, are among the most dangerous tricks of a volcano.

01:40The insides of the biggest blobs remain blazing hot, still bubbling with energy.

01:46They're not just warm.

01:47The temperature inside reaches hundreds of degrees.

01:50If one of these fiery projectiles struck a person, it would crush them instantly.

01:55Even worse, lava bombs can blow apart or cause secondary explosions in two cases.

02:00If the lava bomb has volcanic gases, like water vapor, CO2, or sulfur gases inside, rapid cooling can trap them.

02:09When pressure builds up, it can cause the bomb to burst.

02:12Or, if a hot lava bomb lands in water or ice, the sudden temperature change can create steam explosions, sending debris flying.

02:21Lava blebs come in different shapes, depending on how fluid the magma was when it was ejected.

02:26Their forms are also shaped by how they travel through the air and how they land.

02:32Ribbon blebs form when very fluid magma is thrown out in long, stretchy blobs.

02:38As these break apart in midair, they create thin, ribbon-like fragments that land intact.

02:43These blebs often have fluted textures and small air pockets inside.

02:48Spherical blebs also come from highly fluid magma.

02:51But instead of forming ribbons, they're shaped by surface tension, which pulls them into nearly perfect spheres as they cool.

02:59Spindle or almond-shaped lava blebs start off similarly to spherical ones.

03:04But as they spin through the air, they stretch into elongated football-like shapes.

03:09One size usually ends up smoother than the other, showing how it moved when it fell.

03:14Cow pie blebs form when very liquid lava doesn't cool before hitting the ground.

03:22Instead of solidifying in the air, it lands while still molten and flattens on impact,

03:27spreading out in irregular roundish shapes that resemble, you know, cow patties.

03:32There are also breadcrust blebs that occur when the outer layer of a lava bomb hardens during flight while the inside remains hot.

03:40As the interior expands, it cracks the hardened shell, giving it a texture similar to the crust of a loaf of bread.

03:48Cored lava bombs have a hardened shell surrounding an inner core made of older volcanic rock,

03:53pieces from an earlier eruption, or even fragments of the surrounding landscape.

03:58Whatever shape a lava blob takes, you should watch out for one during a volcanic eruption,

04:03even if you're miles away from the epicenter.

04:06But lava blebs aren't the only danger you should watch for when wandering around volcanoes.

04:12Sometimes, when small drops of lava are thrown from a volcano,

04:16they can stretch into thin, elongated shapes as they cool.

04:20If they form small, teardrop-like shapes, they're called Pele's tears,

04:24after the Hawaiian volcano and fire deity.

04:27If they become longer, thinner strands, they're known as Pele's hair.

04:31In this case, you can notice something that looks like golden mats of fine hair covering the ground.

04:37These aren't strands of human or animal hair, but delicate threads of volcanic glass.

04:42They form when gas bubbles and lava burst, stretching the molten rock into long, hair-like fibers.

04:49Pele's hair can be incredibly thin, sometimes just one micron thick.

04:54But at the same time, they can reach up to a couple of feet in length.

04:57They are so lightweight that the wind can easily carry them through the air.

05:02Later, they settle in low-lying areas, sometimes piling up in thick layers.

05:07Now, despite their delicate appearance, these strands are actually tiny pieces of glass.

05:12They are sharp and brittle, and if they get on the skin, they can cause irritation.

05:17If they get into the eyes, they can be even more dangerous.

05:21That's why it's very important to be cautious when around Pele's hair.

05:24Now, imagine a tidal wave of fire and ash racing down a mountain with unstoppable force.

05:31This is a pyroclastic flow, a fast-moving surge of scorching gases and shattered rock that buries everything in its path.

05:40These flows can stretch for miles, moving as fast as a racing car and reaching temperatures hot enough to melt metal, up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

05:48Pyroclastic flows strike without warning.

05:52The collapse of an erupting volcano's towering ash column or a lava dome, a massive plug of hardened lava sitting at the volcano's mouth, can easily trigger one.

06:02The moment it gives way, the fiery avalanche is unleashed, rolling down the slopes with terrifying speed, vaporizing forests, flattening villages, and incinerating anything caught in its path.

06:14There is no outrunning of pyroclastic flow.

06:17It is the most fatal force a volcano can unleash, responsible for claiming over 90,000 lives in the past 400 years.

06:25That's one-third of all volcanic fatalities.

06:28Not only do these flows burn, crush, and suffocate, but they also destroy buildings, bridges, and anything human-made.

06:35While scientists can predict the most likely paths, usually along valleys, history has shown that powerful flows can jump bridges, sweep over hills, and strike areas we once thought were safe.

06:48Volcanic lightning isn't as dangerous as a pyroclastic flow, but it's a breathtaking view.

06:54It forms only in the thick ash-filled clouds that erupt from certain volcanoes.

06:58These towering columns, called volcanic plumes, shoot up into the sky when a volcano releases massive amounts of ash.

07:06Not all volcanoes create these plumes.

07:09That's why volcanic lightning is rare.

07:11For example, the volcanoes in Hawaii mostly erupt with flowing lava, rather than thick clouds of ash, so they almost never produce volcanic lightning.

07:21Now, look at these tiny ash particles.

07:23Before an eruption, they're squeezed together inside the volcano under extreme pressure.

07:29But when they burst into the open air, they collide and rub against each other in a process known as friction.

07:35This friction charges the particles, just like when you rub a balloon on your hair.

07:40As these charged particles rise into the air, they start to separate.

07:44Positive charges move one way, and negative charges move in a different direction.

07:48When the difference in charge becomes too great, the energy bursts free as a lightning bolt, cutting through the volcanic plume.

07:56Some of the most devastating consequences of a volcanic eruption are lahars.

08:01A lahar is a powerful, fast-moving river of mud, ash, and rock that rushes down the slopes of a volcano, destroying everything in front of it.

08:10These terrifying mudflows form when heavy rains mix with loose volcanic debris.

08:15When lahars sometimes happen during an eruption, they can also strike without warning.

08:21This makes them especially dangerous.

08:23Like pyroclastic floats, lahars move fast, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles.

08:29They can bury entire towns, sweep away bridges, and wipe out roads, leaving behind a deep layer of mud and rock.

08:36One of the most devastating lahar disasters happened in Colombia in 1985,

08:42when the Nevado del Ruiz volcano unleashed a mudflow that buried the town of Armero, taking the lives of over 23,000 people.

08:51Another tragic event occurred in the 1990s, when lahars and pyroclastic flows from the Sofriere Hills volcano wiped out the capital city of Plymouth,

09:01causing $500 million in damage.

09:04That's it for today.

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