[Rockhounds] Iceland volcano eruption: sausages cooked on lava

[Paul]

On Tue Mar 23 04:56:46 PDT, Kreigh Tomaszewsk wrote:

 > Scientists at the foot of the volcano were filmed
 > cooking sausages on its lava as they studied the eruption.
 > https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56482798

In graduate school, I took a seminar course in volcanology. Part of the 
class
was a two week field trip in Central America where we visit a few active
volcanoes. At one lunch stop, the class ate lunch in front of a slowly 
moving
andesitic lava flow which looked like ten-foot high mass of black broken up
surface crud that would break open and fall away to occasionally to expose
red hot, incandescent lava of the inside the flow. Instead of cooking 
hot dogs,
one person had some greasy sausages that were marginally edible. When
thrown into cracks that exposed red hot lava they exploded like hand 
grenades
with a big flash of flame. we also had a surreal debate whether we 
should either
pack our trash out or pack it tightly in a bag and leave it to be 
incinerated when
flow covered the spot less then two hours after we left.

The volcano was Pacaya in Guatemala. There were dozens of tourists,
local and foreigners hiking along the main trail to its summit to watch
red hot lava pouring out of its crater.

It was a fun trip as we got close up and personal with some real live
volcanoes. However, we mostly studied the deposits of ancient eruptions.

Yours,

Paul H.