# A Volcanic Environment

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-volcanic-environment/220487>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 22, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-volcanic-environment/220487 "2003-12-22T18:31:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-volcanic-environment/220487/1 "2003-12-22T18:31:00Z")

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Let’s say my family is taking a day hike across Hawaii and, not having a map, are just aimlessly walking. We come across a volcano. My brother, being the less intelligent, yet more handsome version of myself, decides he wants a closer look. He ventures further, when all of a sudden, the volcano starts erupting.

So minutes later, he’s surrounded by molten lava, flowing down the hill.

Factoring out noxious and dangerous gasses, how long does my addle brained brother have to live until he bursts into flames? Does the heat from lava dissipate quickly enough to not raise the surrounding atmosphere to unbearable temperatures? Am I destined to become both more intelligent _and_ better looking?

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-volcanic-environment/220487/2 "2003-12-22T18:37:55Z")

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Can’t we keep RotK nitpicks in the Cafe? 🙂

I think it depends on the lava flow itself. [Here](http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/hawaiivolcanoes/slidespages/slide_19.html) they say its ~400C for a Lava lake as opposed to the eruptive portions (~1150C), though those would cool through exposure to the air.