FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Why Do Fools Fall in Lava
Quiz about Why Do Fools Fall in Lava

Why Do Fools Fall in Lava? Trivia Quiz


Quick, the floor is lava! Perhaps you'd do well to learn these ten facts about lava so you don't find yourself...well, stepping in it.

A photo quiz by trident. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Science Trivia
  6. »
  7. Earth Science
  8. »
  9. Volcanoes

Author
trident
Time
5 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
401,453
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
265
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 120 (9/10), tiye (9/10), Guest 2 (0/10).
-
Question 1 of 10
1. The English word "lava" finds its etymology in Italian. Flash floods in southern Italy would produce small streams that would wash away the land ("lavare" is "to wash" in Italian). One such stream was called a "lava". This word was then applied to similar-looking lava flows, coming from which of these historically dangerous volcanoes illustrated here? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Grand explosive eruptions, like those that came from Krakatoa, are only one type of eruption that can come from volcanoes. The other type of eruption causes the natural phenomenon known as a lava flow. Common in Hawaiian volcanoes, what is this type of eruption known as? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Around 90% of the Earth's crust is made of a certain type of mineral. It stands to reason, then, that the vast majority of lava is composed of this type. Which type is it? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. There are two main types of lava flows, both coming from the Hawaiian language: pahoehoe (pronounced "paw-hoey-hoey") and a'a (pronounced "ah-ah"). Pictured here is an a'a lava flow, which tends to be bulkier and move more quickly than pahoehoe lava flows. Does lava in the a'a formation tend to cool more quickly as well?


Question 5 of 10
5. Pahoehoe lava flows are generally flat and slow-moving. While moving, the cooled top layer (skin) tends to prevent the lava underneath from cooling, allowing it to flow longer and farther. When a rip does occur, like in the photo, it is cooled quickly and the lava keeps flowing. When completely cooled, pahoehoe lava flows are associated with what type of slope? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This particular formation happens when lava contained in the earth undersea makes its way to the surface only to be rapidly cooled by the chilly ocean waters. Named loosely after their shape, what are these lava formations called? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Lava fountains are common in certain Hawaiian and Italian volcanoes. Lava is ejected from the volcanic craters, vents, or fissures, but it is not considered an explosive eruption like the one that destroyed Pompeii. Which of the following causes lava fountains? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Pictured here is a lava lake created by the volcanic activity of Kilauea in Hawaii. This particular lava lake is molten, though these features don't stay molten forever and eventually they harden.

True or false: Lava lakes are formed when balls of lava are launched from an explosive eruption and fall to the earth, creating a crater upon impact.


Question 9 of 10
9. Lava that has cooled often creates small unique nodules, especially in pahoehoe lava flows. Named after a body part, what do volcanologists call these nodules? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Lava is not a completely terrestrial phenomenon as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Io, and even the Moon have or have had volcanoes at one point. In 2015, while looking at photos of Pluto, NASA scientists believe they spotted a special kind of volcano that can emit water, ammonia, or methane. What is the freezing lava from these volcanoes called? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




View Image Attributions for This Quiz

Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 120: 9/10
Mar 23 2024 : tiye: 9/10
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 2: 0/10
Mar 10 2024 : matthewpokemon: 7/10
Feb 23 2024 : YamaV: 7/10
Feb 16 2024 : misdiaslocos: 10/10
Feb 02 2024 : Guest 161: 7/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The English word "lava" finds its etymology in Italian. Flash floods in southern Italy would produce small streams that would wash away the land ("lavare" is "to wash" in Italian). One such stream was called a "lava". This word was then applied to similar-looking lava flows, coming from which of these historically dangerous volcanoes illustrated here?

Answer: Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius was the volcano that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum among others, so it seems only fitting that we find the etymology of the word "lava" stems from its lava flows. The painting shown here was by artist Albert Bierstadt and titled "Mount Vesuvius at Midnight".
2. Grand explosive eruptions, like those that came from Krakatoa, are only one type of eruption that can come from volcanoes. The other type of eruption causes the natural phenomenon known as a lava flow. Common in Hawaiian volcanoes, what is this type of eruption known as?

Answer: effusive eruption

Effusive eruptions are those in which lava flows from the volcano steadily as opposed to violently in one big explosive eruption. This type of eruption takes place when the magma within a volcano is able to allow the expulsion of gas from it instead of this gas building up. The magma then slowly spills onto the ground and creates lava flows like the one in the picture.
3. Around 90% of the Earth's crust is made of a certain type of mineral. It stands to reason, then, that the vast majority of lava is composed of this type. Which type is it?

Answer: silicate

Two of the most common types of silicate minerals are quartz and feldspar, the latter of which is shown in the the photo. Silicate lavas are by far the most common type, composed of minerals from the Earth's crust. There are some unique types of lava, such as sulfur lava--a result of sulfur deposits being melted at extremely high temperatures--and olivine nephelinite lavas, which come from much deeper in the Earth than other lavas.
4. There are two main types of lava flows, both coming from the Hawaiian language: pahoehoe (pronounced "paw-hoey-hoey") and a'a (pronounced "ah-ah"). Pictured here is an a'a lava flow, which tends to be bulkier and move more quickly than pahoehoe lava flows. Does lava in the a'a formation tend to cool more quickly as well?

Answer: Yes

A'a lava formations move quickly across the ground, cooling more quickly than their counterparts. As the lava pushes itself more quickly than in other formations, exposure to the air cools it more quickly as well. When cooled, a'a lava flows tend to be rougher and more coarse as a result of the quicker cooling.
5. Pahoehoe lava flows are generally flat and slow-moving. While moving, the cooled top layer (skin) tends to prevent the lava underneath from cooling, allowing it to flow longer and farther. When a rip does occur, like in the photo, it is cooled quickly and the lava keeps flowing. When completely cooled, pahoehoe lava flows are associated with what type of slope?

Answer: smooth, gentle slopes

Pahoehoe lava flows are the slow and steady type. They move gently, creating smoother surfaces as they cool. These lavas flows can often come from lava vents in the ground rather than a central volcanic cone. The word "pahoehoe" means "smooth, unbroken lava".
6. This particular formation happens when lava contained in the earth undersea makes its way to the surface only to be rapidly cooled by the chilly ocean waters. Named loosely after their shape, what are these lava formations called?

Answer: pillow lava

When encountering pillow lava, there are often several small lobes or "pillows" due to the nature of their formation. Lava is pushed to the surface and cooled, with a skin forming quickly. Since the skin has formed rapidly and the ocean waters are still quite cold, the lava can only fill a pillow a certain amount. Once that pillow is full, the lava breaks off and forms another pillow nearby, and this process continues until there are numerous clusters of lava pillows.
7. Lava fountains are common in certain Hawaiian and Italian volcanoes. Lava is ejected from the volcanic craters, vents, or fissures, but it is not considered an explosive eruption like the one that destroyed Pompeii. Which of the following causes lava fountains?

Answer: expanding gases

Bubbles and pockets of gas expand and dissolve as magma is rising from beneath the ground. As this takes place, pressure falls, causing the magma to gain momentum. These fountains have been observed to reach over 2000 m (6562 ft). The 1779 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was believed to have reached 3000 m (9843 ft).
8. Pictured here is a lava lake created by the volcanic activity of Kilauea in Hawaii. This particular lava lake is molten, though these features don't stay molten forever and eventually they harden. True or false: Lava lakes are formed when balls of lava are launched from an explosive eruption and fall to the earth, creating a crater upon impact.

Answer: False

Lava lakes are most commonly formed when a previously-existing depression or crater is filled with lava, which has poured slowly into the hole. Sometimes the lava lake is created from underneath in which the lava digs upward and creates its own depression. Lava that has been launched into the air typically doesn't have the force necessary to create its own crater upon impact.
9. Lava that has cooled often creates small unique nodules, especially in pahoehoe lava flows. Named after a body part, what do volcanologists call these nodules?

Answer: toes

Lava toes can be bulbous and look like human toes, though the term also applies to nodules that look nothing like the body part. Lava that forms lava toes is usually too slow to do damage to humans that can run away from it, but if a stationary object such as a house happens to be in the way, there is no sparing it.
10. Lava is not a completely terrestrial phenomenon as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Io, and even the Moon have or have had volcanoes at one point. In 2015, while looking at photos of Pluto, NASA scientists believe they spotted a special kind of volcano that can emit water, ammonia, or methane. What is the freezing lava from these volcanoes called?

Answer: cryolava

Cryolava comes from cryovolcanoes, which are sometimes referred to as "ice volcanoes". These special volcanoes don't exist on Earth since the planet is too warm. Though the only confirmed existence of cryovolcanoes in our Solar System is on Saturn's moon Enceladus, scientists at NASA believe there could be cryovolcanoes on Triton (Neptune), Titan (Saturn), and now Pluto.

When cryolava is erupted from a cryovolcano, it is believed to be in liquid and vapour form, but quickly condenses into small clouds of solids (ice) as the temperature on the surface of these planets is incredibly cold.
Source: Author trident

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. Let Sleeping Volcanoes Lie! Very Easy
2. Fire in the Hole! Average
3. Volcanic Hot Spot Average
4. Mighty Volcanoes Average
5. Head For the Hills Average
6. Supervolcanoes Tough
7. Vulcan's Furnaces Tough
8. Strange Facts about Volcanoes Tough
9. Why on Earth? Easier
10. Up Through The Atmosphere Easier
11. Rock But No Roll Average
12. Geology 101: The Rock Cycle Average

3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us