Red-hot lava flowing on snow causes confusion

The footage was recorded by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove during the eruption of the Sundhnúkagígar volcano in February 2024. This event is related to larger eruptions in the period 2023 – 2024, causing many structures in the town of Grindavik to be destroyed. Van Nieuwenhove shared the footage on social networks and received great attention, attracting about 500,000 likes, IFL Science reported on November 14.

However, some viewers were skeptical and thought the video was created by artificial intelligence (AI). However, the photographer confirmed that the video is real, not AI and not edited or fast-forwarded. “It’s exciting because this shows how much we can still marvel at the uniqueness of nature,” he wrote.

One of the confusing factors is that snow does not produce steam when it comes into contact with red-hot lava. Van Nieuwenhove investigated this problem and was told that it might be related to the Leidenfrost effect. The Leidenfrost effect was first described in the 18th century. Accordingly, liquid near a significantly hotter object can create an insulating layer of vapor that prevents it from boiling quickly.

“The lava is so hot that it melts the layer of snow above, creating a layer of vapor that temporarily shields the lower part from the heat, similar to what you see when water droplets move across a hot metal plate. Lava flowed so fast that it covered the snow before melting. As a result, everything was trapped under the lava,” Van Nieuwenhove explained.

Some viewer misunderstandings may also stem from the strange physics of lava, Van Nieuwenhove said. “One thing I realized while filming a series of continuous eruptions in Iceland over the past 4 years is that most people misjudge how lava works. I think the special effects in the film have had a big impact. . People were amazed at how the lava looked, how it moved, how it sounded and how it interacted with its surroundings. Lava is a strange substance and looks surreal in the video,” the photographer wrote.