Mudslides and avalanches typically carry debris of many shapes and sizes. To understand how debris size affects flows like these, researchers use simplified, laboratory-scale experiments like this one. Here, researchers Keep reading
Tag: gravity current
Reclaiming the Land
Lava floods human-made infrastructure on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula in this aerial image from photographer Ael Kermarec. Protecting roads and buildings from lava flows is a formidable challenge, but it’s one Keep reading
“One”
A 4-minute, unedited one-shot video of colorful paint sliding down a sheet? Yes, please. Beautiful visuals aside, there are some really interesting physics involved here. It’s unclear whether the there’s Keep reading
“Emitter”
For this latest experimental film, artist Roman De Giuli provides a glimpse of the unique fluid art machine he’s built over the last 3.5 years. With 10 channels driven by Keep reading
Underwater Volcanic Flows
The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in December 2021 was the most violent in 140 years, and we are still learning from its aftermath. A recent study focuses on the Keep reading
Kelvin-Helmholtz Flows Downhill
Gravity currents carry denser fluids into lighter ones, like cold air drifting under your door in winter or dense fogs flowing downhill in San Francisco. Here, researchers visualize the situation Keep reading
Bubbles Affect Lava Flow
During the 2018 eruption at Kilauea, scientists noticed that the lava flowed very differently depending on how bubbly it was. In this experiment, researchers used corn syrup as a lava Keep reading
Recreating Pyroclastic Flow
One of the deadliest features of some volcanic eruptions is the pyroclastic flow, a current of hot gas and volcanic ash capable of moving hundreds of kilometers an hour and Keep reading
Kilauea’s Rivers of Lava
Kilauea continues to erupt without signs of abating. Aerial video, like this footage from Mick Kalber, shows the scope of the flow. Lava spurts like a hellish fountain from various Keep reading
Hawaii’s Lava
Sometimes the best way to appreciate a flow is standing still. In “Hawaii – The Pace of Formation” filmmakers explore how the Big Island is constantly changing, from fresh lava Keep reading