Bringing the Volcano to the Students: The Syracuse University LAVA Project

A collaborative effort between the Department of Earth Sciences and Sculpture Department at Syracuse University has resulted in the facility to make natural-scale lava flows in a laboratory environment for K-university students and the general public. Using a large, gas-fired, furnace with a tilting crucible, basaltic gravel is heated at temperatures of 1100° to 1300°C resulting in up to 800 lbs of homogeneous, basaltic lava. Lava is poured over a variety of surfaces including rock slab, wet or dry sand, ice and dry ice. A ceramic funnel permits pouring into and under water. Differing set-ups provide analogs for a wide range of terrestrial, marine, and extraterrestrial lava flows. Composition is held constant, but varying key parameters such as temperature, pouring (effusion) rate, and slope result in different flow morphologies including ropey to toey pahoehoe, inflated flows, channelized flows with levees, and hyaloclastites. Typical flows are 2-4 m long and < 1 m wide. The cooled flows are dissected to document variations in vesicle and crystal densities. In general, the flows produce massive, glassy basalt with internal structures that mimic flows from natural environments. Byproducts of the process include abundant Pelee's hair and tears. Experiments are underway to quantify the variables associated with different morphologies, but the spectacular lava flows are also being integrated into class experiences. Students and instructors from K-12 classes as well as university classes are spectators and active participants in the lava flow events, commonly proposing experiments before or during flows. Lava flows are incorporated into labs for Earth Science classes and also used for artistic creations in the Sculpture program. Although students have access to still images and video of natural lava flows from active volcanoes, there is no substitute for "being there" and experiencing the spectacle of viscous, incandescent orange, lava flowing over the surface in a blast of heat. Grabbing student attention in this environment opens the door to discussions ranging from the nature of Earth materials (solid vs. liquid, rock vs glass, viscous vs brittle, etc.) to major planetary processes.