Lava – the “product” of volcanic eruptions has always been nature’s most emotional ingredient. That’s why there are so many people in the world – from scientists to young men… who have decided to try throwing all sorts of things into the lava to see what happens.
But have you ever wondered what it feels like to be swallowed by lava? If so, let’s join the latest “victim” of the hobby of throwing things into the crater: a GoPro camera!
Specifically, this machine belongs to Erik Storm – the leader of the tour guide at Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) – one of the most active volcanic areas. Storm had placed it in a ravine before the lava flowed, in order to capture the horror that happened to his camera. In addition, it is also to verify the “indestructible” title that the company selling the camera is always proud to attach to GoPro.
Here, he uses a body-mounted camera to capture impressive moments when lava flows from the crater.
The moment molten lava begins to “swallow” the camera.
Unfortunately during the operation, his camera fell from its original position and entered a ravine. It was then “swallowed” by the molten lava. Erik thought the camera would burn down, but surprisingly, when he smashed the outer layer of lava, the camera was still usable.
This rare fortune allows Erik to have precious footage of the moment before the lava “swallowed” the camera. “My camera was engulfed by lava. Then I used a geological hammer to break it to get the camera. Unexpectedly, the camera still works well.
Although filmed in 2016, the clip was recently posted. Videos shared online are quickly received by viewers. Erik said that “it’s a miracle it can withstand such hot temperatures”.
Although the camera was not fully functional prior to the test, the fact that it was “alive” after being submerged in lava hotter than 1000 degrees Celsius is already impressive. The plastic outer shell of the device melts, but accidentally forms a layer to protect the important microchips inside from damage.
Overall, though, this is a somewhat lucky experiment with Storm. GoPro brothers should not try, if you do not want to throw tens of millions of dollars out the window yourself.