The World's Tallest Lava Fountains; Reached 22,000 Feet Altitude

[@AaronGeo]

When the lava fountains are as tall as, if not taller than the mountain producing them Also the possibility of lava bombs hitting aircraft is shocking

[@jamesmcn0000]

Lava bombs sound scary, but as I understand it the real risk is jet engines ingesting a massive amount of highly abrasive volcanic rock and dust. That's why air travel is usually cancelled or routed around eruptions.

[@LadyAlriandi]

@@jamesmcn0000 With bonus problems of ash being invisible on radar which is what happened to British Airways Flight 009

[@robertwalsh1724]

Thanks!

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

"Just kidding it's down here" is even funnier in a monotone voice, and no one can take that from me.

[@irenafarm]

Instant sub. (Idk why I wasn't subbed before)

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

Wow. I can see Mt Rainier, 130 miles away from my home in WA state. 14,410 feet high. and the Etna fountains have exceeded Rainier's height! Wow.

[@CWO3-uscg]

EVERY video you put out is exceptionally educational and entertaining! Thank you.

[@TheSpaceEnthusiast-vl6wx]

Thanks so much Geology Hub! The comparison charts feel very nostalgic, because they are reminiscent of older size comparison videos. The way Etna produced a fountain extending for 3,400 meters about its summit, consequently affirming the historical records of similarly tall fountains at both Etna and Vesuvius is honestly interesting. Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai's 58 kilometer tall eruption column produced by its 2021-2022 eruption, for me at least, suddenly made Krakatau's 1883 estimated eruption column height of 50-80 kilometers (!!!) more plausible, especially with how much more violent Krakatau's eruption was! I also remember Dragath 1 mentioning noticulent clouds being observed after the eruption.

[@sjeason]

I’ve said it before but honestly Mt Etna might just produce the most stunning and beautiful eruptions of any volcano in the world. I can and have watched videos of it eruptions for hours

[@Dragrath1]

Yeah Etna has a lot of unique or atypical characteristics going for it highly alkaline magma meaning higher gas content than typical its melt body intrudes along what if I'm not mistaken is a thrust fault system which is very atypical and further boosts its height.

[@chadsimmons6347]

I've heard we are about to witness a large Solar-Flare,probably very damaging but maybe 1-hell of a show!

[@StuffandThings_]

Yeah, Etna was the first volcano I became obsessed with due to its spectacular eruptions. It also helps that its quite an accessible volcano with picturesque towns surrounding it, in a nice climate in a developed and easy to access country. Truly a volcanoholic's dream.

[@Dragrath1]

@ Not to mention that it erupts quite frequently so there tends to be lots of opportunities to see it. That said regarding those picturesque villages and towns we do have to acknowledge it does have some serious looming hazard risks given its long term behavior including even occasional Plinian (and or Sub Plinian) eruptions such as the Plinian eruption which destroyed Catania and then there is that major flank collapse that created the horseshoe shaped scar known as Valle Del Bove and a major Trans-Mediterranean Tsunami. I can't help but notice that Etna is reaching a height fairly comparable to its estimated pre collapse height. Yeah its a Decade volcano for a reason. In a twisted way however that just adds to its allure.

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@Dragrath1 Yes. Having taken the cable car up there and then some time later seen the pylons marooned in new lava adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the holiday memories.

[@andyjay729]

Today I learned that while giant sharks can't attack airliners at cruising altitude, volcanoes can (and not just via ash).

[@HiwasseeRiver]

There is a limiting height that's based on the velocity of the lava at it's source. For 22,000 ft the velocity is 1190 ft/s (straight up at sea level). Note that the velocity is near the speed of sound. The process of lava leaving a vent can be considered choked two phase flow so 22,000 feet looks like a record that will be hard to beat.

[@wildlifeisthewealthofnatur5457]

Laki eruption might had been even taller.

[@MarkusMöttus-x7j]

I have a hypothesis, couldn't the lava technically go further the higher the peak is?(Due to the air being thinner I mean)

[@davidaugustofc2574]

​@@MarkusMöttus-x7jbut more energy is required to carry the lava further above sea level. The answer is ultimately more energy, if you have enough to lauch supersonic pieces of crust, they can go higher.

[@alcidecloridrix9309]

Educated guess, if you dump it more energy, it will not be a lava fountain anymore, it will become a Plinian ash éruption. The quoted Etna paroxysmal episode (23/11/2013) was exceptionally short but powerful. If you look at the footage, it seems it's already on the verge of becoming subplinian. There is a very unusually ash rich column, filled with lightning, which collapsed into Valle del Bove into a 1km long pyroclastic flow. Had this had just a bit more energy behind it, it would have been like Calbuco in 2015. This Calbuco éruption did produce 4km high jets of incandescent material, but I don't know if we can call this true lava fountain anymore. It's more like a constant jet of ash. Kelud did that too in 2014, with estimated eruptive rates briefly surpassing Pinatubo.

[@xwiick]

Thanks for all the hard work on these videos!

[@Deeplycloseted435]

I can’t even imagine how crazy it is to see lava shooting miles up into the sky. I’m guessing if you’re close enough to see it, it may be raining lava rock onto everyone’s head.

[@wpjohn91]

You could probably see it from very far away. Imagibe back in the classic period in the night the sky glowing red. Your mind would be blown

[@NoidoDev]

​@@wpjohn91 Well, they thought it was a god.

[@tippyc2]

@@NoidoDev People all over the world attributed gods to volcanic activity.

[@irenafarm]

The extinctions associated with igneous province eruptions make a LOT more sense now. Imagine lava fountaining 3,000 meters or more, over a rift system hundreds of miles long. Basically scale up the Iceland eruptions near Grindavik 100x. "Sorry therapsids! Not this era!" BONK

[@donaldduck830]

At night, you will be able to see that from the Italy mainland, probably. Depends on weather and everything, though.

[@erinmac4750]

An astounding level of power and material released in these eruptions. This is an excellent video for educating about scale, especially when you've included footage of the volcanoes. Definitely sharing this eith my students! 🌋🤯💚✌️😎

[@marthacoomber3188]

Really hard to imagine. The heat, noise, force, smell and presence. Insane.

[@iain3411]

That's a cool video , lots of work done here. Thank you .

[@andrewgibson7610]

That's as high as the Andes, incredible !

[@d.t.4523]

Good luck. Thank you, and keep working.

[@exxor9108]

Never did I believe that lava fountains could climb so high. That is absolutely bonkers!

[@StirlingLighthouse]

That’s just crazy 🤪 Love your work! 🫶 🙏

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

6.7KM TALL IS INSANEEEEE!!!!!!!

[@spinosaurusiii7027]

And to think that it still pales in comparison to large explosive eruptions. Frightening, really.

[@AaronGeo]

*Verneshot Eruption enters the chat*

[@davidaugustofc2574]

​@@spinosaurusiii7027In the scale that volcanoes operate, everything is kinda frightening. You could have a hotspot making lava flows for over a thousand years non stop.

[@jonayvvv494]

As a local resident of the island of La Palma I’d like to suggest a minor correction; the right name for the 2021 volcano is “Tajogaite” wich means “broken mountain” in the aboriginal language. Cumbre Vieja is the volcano chain on top of the island wich Tajogaite is just one of its many craters.

[@00Pottus00]

I'd say he got it right; Tajogaite is simply the name of the cinder cone from the 2021 eruption but really it is the Cumbre Vieja volcano that erupted.

[@alcidecloridrix9309]

Yep. Like Paticutin vs Guanajuato Michoacán volcanic field.

[@sanholo2483]

Tajogaite may be the cone that formed, but it is part of the cumbre vieja volcanic edifice and shares its plumbimg system. Like teneguia or san juan they are vents, but the main volcano is cumbre vieja.

[@irenafarm]

I learned during the eruptions near Grindavik to be careful to use the correct name for features whenever possible. Cultures that develop in environments prone to change, are very serious about names.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

Just a hint of the pressure deep inside our planet.

[@iowafarmboy]

Can't really get your head around lava shooting up that high 😅

[@scrappydoo7887]

Its really quite amazingly high

[@lorrinbarth1969]

For those record altitude lava fountains the lava would need to be leaving the ground at supersonic speeds. The sound must be terrifying. BTW, I was watching the La Palma eruption - there was 24 hour coverage and I was timing the fall of large lava bombs. The math gave altitudes higher than what anyone at the time was saying.

[@williamlloyd3769]

You can just imagine lava fountains attacking drones like moths to flame!

[@AnthonyLoconte-u6w]

A 9000 foot lava fountain is insane.

[@Jillysmom63]

yeah so is 22,000 feet! thats scary actually.

[@AnthonyLoconte-u6w]

@Jillysmom63 just the elevation of the fountain. Not an actual 22,000 foot fountain.

[@peter5.056]

Just imagine flying at flight level 2200, and running into a wall of molten rock. That's nuts!

[@hattrick2219]

Probably typos. FL220=22000ft. No aircraft could go to FL2200.

[@40over86]

Excellent content.

[@nortyfiner]

Bear in mind that many WW2 aircraft weren't pressurized, so they had operating ceilings well below the heights of some of these extreme lava fountains. Now imagine you're Yossarian in his B-25 on yet another bombing mission in Italy, and suddenly there's a lot more than just flak flying around Mount Vesuvius. Unbelievable.

[@allangibson8494]

B-25’s were destroyed by Vesuvius’ 1944 eruption…

[@erinmac4750]

That had to be insane! I hadn't thought about that particular WWII event in awhile. I bet there are some great stories out there. It would make an awesome collab between GH and one of the history channels such as the crew from Time Ghost History, Mark Felton, or History Guy.

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

I just love that it's a combination of scientists and historians vastly underestimating the sheer forces involved in an eruption.

[@Peter_Morris]

Geez that is almost difficult to imagine! It’s like squeezing an orange and the juice all pops out of a tear at just the right spot on the skin.

[@kdeuler]

It would be interesting to calculate the initial speed of the lava .

[@Fusako8]

That's what I was thinking.

[@georgemartinez-vi5yi]

Unbelievable that they could be so high, I would never have imagined this. Speculating now; just how high would the fountain of Olympus Mons on Mars reached?

[@KKollective]

Wow, that’s astounding

[@Venture_Fanatic]

So the Ashy Fountains is when the Lava gets the Bends rising to the surface too fast..

[@patriciamueller3986]

Impressive! Most impressive!😊

[@IndianLondoner]

Fascinating indeed. Lets see your face again dude ❤🎉

[@Nightscape_]

I'm just happy we don't have Io sized lava fountains.

[@jerrymalone8370]

Please do a video on asphalt volcanoes. Thanks.

[@garyv2498]

Still trying to comprehend hot lava falling for 4 miles up, and what that would do when it hits ground.

[@alij7047]

The power of Planet Earth!

[@cbsGD]

something I've rarely even thought about but now I'm really interested

[@Cerbera66]

Thank you for your interesting video 😊🌋👍

[@MikkellTheImmortal]

😮 Absolutely gobsmacking!😮 Question, what is the highest theorized height a lava fountain possible?

[@timl8258]

Is there any estimate on how high lava would fountain during something like the Columbia River flood basalt eruption?

[@Fusako8]

I'd suspect not particularly high given how viscous the lava was.

[@ronanzann4851]

The Columbia River Basalt Floods made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean, (over 300 miles), implying very fluid lava ! It's also been suggested by volcanologists that the initial lava fountains of the "Siberian Traps" could have been 20 kilometers high.....that's over 65,000 feet !

[@irenafarm]

The igneous province eruptions were almost certainly overachievers in every way. The Deccan Traps and CAMP remnants imply some insane pyroclastics.

[@irenafarm]

So, if I understand this correctly, a fountaining eruption is generally _less_ at risk for creating widespread problems with ash and/or pyroclastic flows. That's interesting, as those lava fountains are way more dangerous _looking!_ People tend not to be scared of black cloudy masses.

[@Drunkenstein-v8v]

Stunning 😮

[@Cyclone-M16]

Volcanoes really are somethin' else...

[@George-rv3rt]

How do you ascertain the height of these lava fountains when there are no measuring equipment in use.

[@stargazer5784]

I don't know how geologists typically measure the height, but simple trigonometry will work. You stand a known distance from the vent, and then measure the degree angle above the horizon of the lava fountains highest point. Model rocket enthusiasts have been using the same method for years.

[@lorrinbarth1969]

No need for trig, no need to even be there. If you have video all you need to do is time how long a lava bomb is in the air.

[@neilclarkwork]

I would love to see any of these in person.

[@ndipngpl2004]

Please cover Saint Lawrence Island in Alaska!!

[@AJTitan1973]

Nice one.

[@henryprice9493]

That last clip had an awesome demonstration of ball lightning. Super cool that a volcano made the right conditions for that super rare phenomenon. 5:41

[@robertsurratt2758]

Where?

[@ajs1998]

That was not ball lightning. It's a lens artifact 180 degrees opposite of the bright lamp

[@YunxiaoChu]

Liar

[@henryprice9493]

@@robertsurratt2758 right by the volcano, zipping around.

[@henryprice9493]

​@ajs1998 they're not throwing the camera around are they?

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

So cool ... in a very hot sort of way.

[@davedavedave52]

Is there any research the attempts to calculate the gas pressures that can propel Lava to theses heights?

[@AnthonyLoconte-u6w]

What was the tallest fountain at Kilauea during the 2018 eruption?

[@audacyspectrum3612]

Well, back then they didn't have the technology we have today soo.... I wonder who was brave enough to stand out there with a ridiculously tall ladder and mile long measuring tape! 🤣

[@raymondg7565]

👍 Thanks

[@bizzarostormy]

Do written records tell of these towering eruptions ? From what distance ( km or Miles) could these massive eruptions be seen? Would an eruption this size be seen across the Mediterranean Sea ?

[@keesvrins8410]

You can see thunder 200 km away. The lava is properly brighter. So I guess 250-300 km is possible. Not far more. The earth is round... ;)

[@ronanzann4851]

Wow......seeing "sound" 200 kilometers away ? Seeing sound at any distance with your eyes is definitely one for the books !

[@Drgnhrtstrng]

There are reports of Icelands "Mývatn Fires" eruption fountains being seen from across the entire country in the 18th century.

[@irenafarm]

At night you probably could see the glow from a great distance reflected from the plume of particulates built up over the eruption.

[@SevereWeatherCenter]

This is so cool!

[@surters]

I wonder what the theoretical maximum height is?

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Add to Elon's project list - Check for lava spatter on Mars.

[@Foxxorz]

Gooey magma meets very high pressure.

[@jackreisewitz6632]

I wish he'd made clear whether these heights are measured from the point where they leave the vent, or from sea level.

[@Baconweather]

Why is MT etna really active?

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Acclimatising the Sicilian Capos?

[@putteslaintxtbks5166]

Of course that makes me wonder how high they might have been on Mars with the largest volcano in the solar system and less gravity than earth?

[@jlangevin65]

I know we've observed lava fountains at least 330km high on Io. I'm not sure if that's the highest or how it compares to cryovolcanic plumes observed on some of the icy moons of the giant planets.

[@yzettasmith4194]

I can't even imagine a 22,000 ft lava fountain.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Possibly something close to that was possible on from Olympus Mons when it erupted on Mars where the gravity is 38 % that of Earth's.

[@Jillysmom63]

Holy Sh!t thats high! I cant even imagine what that woudl look like. Id say Id lek to see it but I don't think it woudl be a good thing if that happened. 22,000 feet.. yikes! no wonder all the people died in Pompeii and surrounding towns. That must have been terrifying to see. And here I thought the 200 feet high ones in Iceland were cool and really high.. thanks for showing us this.. just wow.

[@maximilianrpm2927]

That's brutal!

[@logan3455]

Terrifying

[@queenb67]

My first thought at the incredible heights: "Shut the front door!!!" 😲😲😲😲🤣🤣🤣

[@russell7489]

Safe then to assume geologic time frame massive eruptions, Siberian, Indian traps etc could easily have had larger lava fountains sustained over years injecting hot magma directly into stratosphere at 40,000 60,000 or more ?

[@stargazer5784]

I don't think that flood basalt eruptions would be as violent, but they do occur for very extended periods of time over a wide area. I could be wrong though.

[@StuffandThings_]

Now you need to cover the tallest recorded geyser eruptions, from Waimangu geyser

[@gcrauwels941]

Interesting. I can't help but wonder though, are you related to Tricia Takanawa?

[@mirandaputs6624]

How do you estimate lava fountain height? And how can you estimate historical lava fountain height?

[@faroncobb6040]

It's basic trigonometry. If an observer knows their location, the location of the volcanic vent, and what angle the lava fountain reached above the horizon, they can put the numbers into a fairly simple equation and get the height of the fountain. The surveying instruments and the mathematical knowledge needed to use them have been around for probably 4000-5000 years.

[@whalhard]

Must be quite the view.

[@evenodds8791]

Because in 1789 they could accurately measure 21000ft lava fountains right? How accurate are all of the earthquake, tsunami, volcanic, uplift, and elevation measurements made 300 years ago?

[@nigels.6051]

Is the width proportional to the height? Apart from for fissures like in Iceland.

[@bertbaker7067]

Algorithm support comment

[@-Katastrophe]

If true then I bet the temperature set in Death Valley is still the hottest recorded.

[@gindaburra]

You can't mention Stromboli without discussing forsterite and fayalite.

[@mcjitsu]

Great info and great graphics. But honestly, let me be your announcer. I was in radio for years and I think we can make these articles sound a little less like Carl Sagan. No offense but, you are hard to listen to.

[@davidcranstone9044]

Hmmm. That is a matter of opinion - only a few minutes ago, on today's video I think, I read a comment praising his soothing voice. And to me, Tim's rather distinctive voice contributes to the rather special atmosphere of this channel - to me it would lose a lot if it had a generic 'professional' announcer instead of Tim. And watch his interview with Professor Shawn Willsey on Shawn's channel recently to get a better feel for Tim as a person before you offer to replace him on his own channel!

[@nullc0ntext]

It's like me on Wednesday after Taco Tuesday night.

[@pedrodepacas-ic1cb]

You're officially uninvited from Wednesdays pool party and limbo contest.

[@astrotometry]

What sort of ejecta would it take to put a Moon or an asteroid in orbit? Or what sort of asteriod would it take to put... itself back in orbit if it hit... us?

[@LordTimelord]

Jupiter's Moon Io has entered the chat... 🌋

[@michaellawson6533]

Tambora ?

[@colinpyke4199]

How did they measure the height?

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Probably extra long yard sticks, but that's just a guess.

[@RSimpkinuk57]

@@michaeldeierhoi4096 How about a sextant? Given that the elevation of Etna's summit (for example) had already been determined and could thus be used as a reference for scale.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

@@RSimpkinuk57 Of course a sextant would be a better choice. I was being sarcastic.

[@LionelM-i2f]

👍♥️😳🌞

[@Me3stR]

I am skeptical of exceptional measurements made during blood letting and humors times

[@Julian_Wang-pai]

Volcanoes emit rock (liquid/semi-liquid) and gas; typically combustion is not involved but - has there ever been any recorded combustion (oxidation) or chemical activity involving carbon (elemental sulphur is one such)?

[@wiredforstereo]

You're doing bad things with significant digits, and giving yourself tongue twisters as a result. 2000m is not properly converted to "6562 ft" because it only has one significant digit, 2. The fountain was not exactly 2000.0m tall. So using the precision all the way down to four digits with 6562 is not appropriate. Maybe you could get away with 2.0 thousand, giving you a reasonable conversion of 6600 feet. Using four digits of 6562 implies you know that it was exactly 6562 feet plus or minus a foot. And I know you don't claim that.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

Any time Geohub uses a specific number like that it is always an estimate, but I get your point. As with numbers especially I can be pedantic in similar ways.

[@wiredforstereo]

@@michaeldeierhoi4096 Engineering education is to blame. I'm like "just say "about sixty-six hundred feet tall."" It makes no sense to give 2000m which everyone knows is an approximation, and then say 6562 feet which indicates exactitude.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

@wiredforstereo Except that Tim of geohub earned a BS in geology not engineering.

[@Xl8tor241]

wow!

[@BeleagueredCastle-hk2vv]

Cumbre Vieja, in my opinion, has the most amazing eruption I've ever seen. It's like a giant SpaceX Raptor engine turned upside down and gimbaling wildly. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3rdd4iFopimpKc

[@12pentaborane]

Great now with volcanic ash I've got to watch for literal lava when flying. I guess it's better than SAMs.

[@AdamTrautmanBowling]

I would have guessed Mt Etna

[@CapaUno1322]

Just kidding! Love that! xD

[@zeriousvolt1245]

I doubt that very much. People at that time had no way of measuring the height of lavafountains correctly. Ashclouds maybe, but not lava.

[@kaluapele]

Both vesuvius and etnas are victims of geoengineering.

[@goodwaterhikes]

😎👍

[@CTP1111]

now do the lava fountain heights on Jupiter's moon Io!

[@edwardbrown4408]

Im calling 🐂 💩

[@barry7608]

There is no such thing as a ‘sudden’ therefore you can’t have ‘all of a sudden’ it is simply….suddenly. Thanks for the info, I am suddenly more knowledgeable. Take care.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

I was going to quibble about your comment, but then all of sudden I realized it was dull as in pointless!! 😂😅🤣😂😅