What happens if the lava reaches the sea

lava flows

After the eruption of the La Palma volcano, big questions arose from many people. All those are related to the characteristics of volcanoes and lava. One of the most recurring questions was what happens if the lava reaches the sea.

For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you what happens if the lava reaches the sea, what its characteristics are and what can happen.

lava characteristics

volcano eruptions

Inside the Earth, the heat is so intense that the rocks and gases that make up the mantle melt. Our planet has a core made of lava. This core is covered by crust and layers of hard rock. The molten material that forms is magma, and when it is pushed towards the Earth's surface we call it lava. Although the two layers are different, the crust and the rock, the truth is that both are constantly changing: solidified rock becomes liquid and vice versa. If magma seeps through the crust and reaches the Earth's surface, it turns into lava.

However, we call lava the magmatic material that comes out of the earth's crust and thus spreads towards the surface. Lava is very hot, between 700°C and 1200°C, Unlike magma, which can cool quickly, lava is denser and therefore takes longer to cool. This is one of the reasons why it is very dangerous to approach the site of a volcanic eruption, even if it is only a few days later.

What happens if the lava reaches the sea

What happens if the lava reaches the sea and enters

The lava flow from the La Palma volcano rushed into the sea, causing an immediate chemical reaction. After falling from a 100 meter cliff, volcanic material at a temperature between 900 and 1.000 ºC comes into contact with water at 20 ºC. The reaction that occurs is strong evaporation, because the temperature difference is so great that the lava is capable of heating the water very quickly and creating clouds, much of which is water vapor. But even its main components, water not only contains hydrogen and oxygen (H2O), it also has a series of other chemical components, such as chlorine, carbon, etc., which can produce various gases and volatile substances.

The Instituto de Vulcanología de Canarias (INVOLCAN) reports that these formed white clouds or columns (plumes) filled with hydrochloric acid, as had been observed from the beginning. Seawater is rich in sodium chloride (NaCl), and the main chemical process that occurs at the high temperature of the lava produces hydrochloric acid (HCl), in addition to the column of water vapor. A drone with chemical sensors was used in the area to analyze the gas.

In addition, other compounds are produced, but from a safety point of view they are not comparable to hydrochloric acid since, among other effects, it can cause skin or eye irritation, so it is advisable to stay away from the area. of acid vapors to reach. The same goes for exhaust gases.

The experts emphasize that this cloud has nothing to do with the huge volcanic plume: “There was a lot of sulfur dioxide (the main gas that helps us monitor the state of the eruption), carbon dioxide and other compounds emitted there, but in much higher".

Columns of acidic steam produced by hot lava and oceans they also contain small grains of volcanic glass.

After exposure to colder environments and large amounts of water, lava cools very quickly, causing it to solidify primarily as glass, which is broken up by thermal differences. In general, they are very hot gases (above 100 ºC when the water boils) that can occasionally be toxic. Once they are released into the atmosphere, they disperse and dissolve. There may be some risk at close range, but obviously that area is surrounded and protected for miles aroundSo it shouldn't be a cause for concern.

what happens to the water

The further away from the lava flow, the temperature of the water gradually recovers. The heat of the lava boils the water in direct contact with temperatures above 100ºC. The water evaporates, but as it moves away from the lava flow, the temperature gradually drops.

The further away from the lava flow, the sea temperature gradually recovers. Water is stronger than laundry, except in contact areas where the former evaporates immediately.

As long as the lava continues to reach the sea and petrify, By allowing the islands to rise above sea level, the chemical reaction continues. There will always be a layer of water that comes into contact with the hot laundry. As long as it keeps getting there, this reaction will continue because there will always be that temperature difference.

What happens if the lava reaches the sea and gases are generated

what happens if the lava reaches the sea

The effects of gasification or incorporation of gases from the lava flow into the sea are restricted, therefore, to the contact zone between lava and sea, which is the one that undergoes evaporation. In principle, the effect of this scour on the water tends to disappear or be much reduced the farther you get out.

Likewise, INVOLCAN experts warn that these columns of acid vapor are a definite local danger for people who visit or are in coastal areas where lava meets the sea.

Furthermore, they argue, this plume of steam is not as energetic as the plume from the volcanic cone, which is producing powerful acidic volcanic gases. They inject enormous energy into the atmosphere, reaching altitudes of up to 5 km.

INVOLCAN warns that inhalation or exposure to acidic gases and liquids can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract, in addition to causing respiratory difficulties, especially in those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about what happens if the lava reaches the sea.


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