An aerial view of one of the fissures in the Kīlauea Volcano eruption. U.S. Geological Survey
No, You Shouldn't Roast Marshmallows Over a Volcano Vent
The social media team at the U.S. Geological Survey has answers to your volcanology questions.
Kudos to the scientists and staff at the U.S. Geological Survey for keeping the public informed about the eruption of Hawaii's Kīlauea Volcano. The agency's information response—including video and photo updates—offers a great example of how to educate people about complex scientific activities. The social media team also set up a Facebook page to answer questions about the ongoing volcanic activity. And @USGS Volcanoes, which apparently operates under the belief that there is no such thing as a stupid question, has been keeping the Twitterverse updated as well:
@USGSVolcanoes Is it safe to roast marshmallows over volcanic vents? Assuming you had a long enough stick, that is? Or would the resulting marshmallows be poisonous? @JimGriffith_SV @DrFunkySpoon
— Jay Furr (@jayfurr) May 29, 2018
Erm...we're going to have to say no, that's not safe. (Please don't try!) If the vent is emitting a lot of SO2 or H2S, they would taste BAD. And if you add sulfuric acid (in vog, for example) to sugar, you get a pretty spectacular reaction.
— USGS Volcanoes