BOOM! An explosion occurs after scientists inject a batch of lava with jets of water. This reaction, taking place in mid-July, was one of the most intense that researchers have been able to produce thus far. In the experiments, a hammer drives a plunger into the molten rock to help stimulate an explosion, but a strong reaction sometimes begins before the hammer falls. Photo: Ingo Sonder

 BOOM! An explosion occurs after scientists inject a batch of lava with jets of water. This reaction, taking place in mid-July, was one of the most intense that researchers have been able to produce thus far. In the experiments, a hammer drives a plunger into the molten rock to help stimulate an explosion, but a strong reaction sometimes begins before the hammer falls. Photo: Ingo Sonder

In mid-July, on the morning of the explosive experiment, UB geologists Ingo Sonder, left, and Kailey DiemKaye convene at the field station to make lava. Sonder is a research scientist at UB’s Center for Geohazards Studies, and DiemKaye is a master’s student in geology. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 In mid-July, on the morning of the explosive experiment, UB geologists Ingo Sonder, left, and Kailey DiemKaye convene at the field station to make lava. Sonder is a research scientist at UB’s Center for Geohazards Studies, and DiemKaye is a master’s student in geology. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

In the morning, DiemKaye, left, and Sonder check the experiment’s water injection system. This task is among the prep work that the researchers perform while waiting for the rock to melt, which takes about 4 hours. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 In the morning, DiemKaye, left, and Sonder check the experiment’s water injection system. This task is among the prep work that the researchers perform while waiting for the rock to melt, which takes about 4 hours. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

Periodically throughout the day, researchers uncap the furnace to stir the lava. The face shielding helps to protect against infrared radiation, while the silver-colored suit reflects heat. Sonder, pictured here, is leading the lava-water project. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 Periodically throughout the day, researchers uncap the furnace to stir the lava. The face shielding helps to protect against infrared radiation, while the silver-colored suit reflects heat. Sonder, pictured here, is leading the lava-water project. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

Numerous cameras are set up around the lava shack to document the water injection and explosion from numerous angles. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 Numerous cameras are set up around the lava shack to document the water injection and explosion from numerous angles. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

The container holding the lava cools following the explosion. The products of the experiment range from hair-like strands of basalt — called “Pele’s hair” after Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes in Hawaiian religion — to odd-shaped fragments of the glossy black rock. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 The container holding the lava cools following the explosion. The products of the experiment range from hair-like strands of basalt — called “Pele’s hair” after Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes in Hawaiian religion — to odd-shaped fragments of the glossy black rock. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

DiemKaye holds up a hollow glassy bubble that formed from lava ejected from the container by the explosion. After photographing these and other remnants of the explosion, scientists clean it all up. It’s a long day: The researchers are usually on-site at the field station until about 7 p.m., about 10 hours after they arrive. Photo: Charlotte Hsu

 DiemKaye holds up a hollow glassy bubble that formed from lava ejected from the container by the explosion. After photographing these and other remnants of the explosion, scientists clean it all up. It’s a long day: The researchers are usually on-site at the field station until about 7 p.m., about 10 hours after they arrive. Photo: Charlotte Hsu
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A red hot summer

At UB’s Geohazards Field Station in Ashford, scientists melt basaltic rock to make lava, and then inject the molten mixture with water to cause an explosion. These rare experiments explore important questions in volcanology. The research sheds light on the basic physics of lava-water interactions, which can make eruptions more dangerous. The field station, some 40 miles south of Buffalo, is run by the Center for Geohazards Studies in UB’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Published July 22, 2019