Can lava start fires with plant life, etc.? If you stepped in hot
lava, would it burn through your shoe, or not?
Gail
Savoie
Hi again Gail,
As for burning through your shoe, the lava would burn through only if you left
your shoe in the lava (most normal people would pull their foot out pretty
fast!). There was a case a few years ago where a geologist accidentally stepped
into some lava. The nylon laces of his boots burned off almost instantly but
the thick leather did not, and he had only minor burns on his foot. After that
we all made sure that we only wear real leather boots out on active flows, not
the lightweight part-nylon kind.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland, University of Hawaii
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