Patricia Lynn Turner, age 9, of Yuma., Arizona, for her questions
How fast does lava flow and is it dangerous?
Which of these four events is most dangerous? A man is trapped by a huge man‑eating plant. A girl decides to cross the street when the light is red. A woman is running from a river of hot lava. A boy reads a sign on the beach which says Dangerous Undertow and decides to go swimming anyway.
Two of these dangers are hum drum, everyday events and may tend to leave us careless. The other two are dramatic and, when they show up in adventure stories, they keep us spellbound. Facts, however, prove that the everyday, humdrum dangers are usually more dangerous than the dramatic ones.
For instance, the largest meat‑eating plant in the world can devour nothing bigger than a small mouse. Yet, in America more than 8,000 pedestrians are killed by traffic every year. Many more are inured. Several hundred American children lose their lives every year from drowning, most of them because they went swimming when they should not have. And, for all these humdrum accidents, not one person gets eaten by a plant:
And, did you ever knows hear or read of anyone who was caught by a flow of lava? Maybe you did, because this accident could happen. However, it is very rare.
Many people have lost their lives from volcanic eruptions. But the danger rarely comes from the rivers of red hot lava. People can see these rivers coming from far away and they have plenty of time to get out of the way. But, once in the water, there is no time to avoid that dangerous undertow. Once in lane of rushing traffic there is no time for the bus to put on its brakes and stop in time to save you.
By now you know which kind of danger scares old Andy the most. He takes care to watch out for those everyday, humdrum dangers. They kill and injure far more people than the rare, dramatic events. What's more, you can always avoid them. Lets enjoy the scary tales and TV programs. But let's not take chances with the little everyday dangers.
It's now time, says Andy, to answer the question about how fast lava flows. Lava, flowing from a volcano, has been clocked at from 40 to 50 miles an hour, however, is the speed with which it may flow from the vent in the mouth or aide of the volcano. At this point it bursts forth with all its fury and energy. Here, too, it usually flows down a slope and lava, like any other 1iquid, flows faster downhill,
Of course, even an enthusiastic scientist would not place himself near the vent of an erupting volcano. Most people see the flow of lava far from its source. By this time the fiery river has slowed down. In facts it seems to be dust creeping along the ground.
Lava, of course, is molten rock. And most rocks freeze solid at hundreds of degrees above the boiling point of water. Molten lava cools soon after it is exposed to the air. The red hot river is soon choked with chunks of solid rock. It slows to the pace of a walk long before it gets to level ground.