The random stuff from X thread

The random stuff from X thread

I have been off the boards for a while and finally caught up on my favorite thread.

I noticed a post and some comments from a while back that I may be of some help with:

SoggyBottomBoy said
It almost looks fake. I’d expect steam from melting ice and snow as the lava hits it. Maybe both temperature extremes are the reason?

Sailorsaint said
I was thinking the same thing....why isn't there a cloud of steam? Was the temp difference so extreme that even the steam was consumed? Is that even a thing?

buzd said
I also thought the same thing.

But technically steam isn’t visible. Water vapor is visible when suspended water droplets adhere to bits of dust (like clouds or your breath) Maybe it’s so hot and the air is so dry that the steam just isn’t visible.

DaveXA said
I think the extreme heat of the lava actually evaporates the steam rather quickly. But that's just me guessing.

Booker said
Yeah, you’re talking about molten rock that is so hot it’s been liquified.

Dave, you are close. It's a process called sublimation. The temperature differential between the ice and the lava is so extreme, that the liquid phase (water/steam) is bypassed and goes from a solid straight to gas. There's a Tom Brady joke in here somewhere. :D