MQ_Dante's Peak
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Apr 3, 2024
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EES 0836
Dante’s Peak Movie Questions Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood
Introduction
A volcanologist arrives at a countryside town recently named the second most desirable place to live in America, and discovers that the long dormant volcano, Dante's Peak, may wake up at any moment.
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imdb.com
Learning Objectives
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Critically assess the portrayal of science, forecasting, and eruptive behavior of Dante’s Peak in the movie Dante’s Peak (1997). (4, b)
Part 1: Watch the movie
As you are watching the video clips, look for the answers to the following questions.
1.
In the opening scene of Dante’s Peak, Harry and his girlfriend are trying to escape during a volcanic eruption. Visibility is poor because of falling volcanic ash. Do volcanoes really produce ash? How can rocks burn/melt?
Volcanoes do produce ash. During volcanic eruptions, fragments of pulverized rocks and minerals are formed. The ash is shot into the air and are quick to spread.
Rocks don’t completely melt at one temperature since each contain different minerals that have different melting points. There are multiple ways rocks can burn/melt. The rock’s melting point changes with pressure. One way is through decompression melting where rock is brought down to
a lower pressure. Another way is heating up the rock until it reaches solidus, the state that it will begin to melt. Lastly, adding volatiles will lower the melting point of rocks by weakening their bonds. Volatiles include chemicals like water and CO2.
2.
What volcanic hazard kills Harry’s girlfriend?
Harry’s girlfriend is killed by a flying volcanic bomb from the explosion. It launches through Harry’s truck and strikes her in the head.
3.
When Harry, the mayor, and her kids visit Grandma’s cabin, there is foreshadowing of disaster. List at least four signs (precursors) that Dante’s Peak is about to awaken.
Some signs include the PH of the lake water being very acidic, some of the trees on the mountain being dead, two dead squirrels next to each other, and the hot spring beginning to boil and steam.
4.
Describe anything you saw in these clips that you think might be scientifically questionable.
EES 0836
The hot springs on top of the mountain boiled really quickly with the hikers inside. The water was hot then one second later it was scorching hot causing the people inside to die immediately. I believe for a resting volcano, the water would increase much more slowly than what happened in the movie. The temperature could take weeks to reach that point.
5.
Explain Harry’s “proof” that Dante’s Peak is a “ticking time bomb?”
Sulfur Dioxide has contaminated the water supply of the town. Harry saw the exact situation happen in the Philippines before Mount Pinatubo exploded.
6.
What caused the helicopter crash?
The helicopter crashed from ash clogging its engine.
7.
The film shows our hero et al. riding a boat that is rapidly dissolving in a lake made acidic by the volcano. What part do you think is real, and where has Hollywood exaggerated to create drama?
I think the lakes becoming very acidic is realistic. The acid water would be able to burn human skin. However, I don’t think acid water would eat through a metal boat as quickly as portrayed in the movie. It would take a longer process.
8.
The eruption melts the snow off the top of the mountain (volcano), which affects the surrounding rivers. It looks like muddy water flowed down Dante’s Peak, what is the scientific term for these “flows?”
Lahar Flow.
9.
Harry dramatically drives through a lava flow. Do you think this is possible? Provide a couple sentences to explain your reasoning.
Driving through lava is not possible. Lava can get up to 1,200
°C.
The lava can quickly melt the tires or cause the car’s engine to explode due to the immense heat. The lava would not have enough time to solidify enough to drive across. The car would sink and get stuck.
10.
In the end, did the order of volcanic hazards make sense? Does something not add up? What, if anything, is out of place?
The earthquakes and gas emissions occurring before the eruption was accurate. The timing of the pyroclastic cloud also made sense. However, the ash fall seemed out of place. It was falling way before the explosive eruption.
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