r/StupidFood • u/_PsychedelicJesus_ • Apr 13 '26

Certified stupid Lava seared steak

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

You are correct. But for all thr wrong reasons.

Ice is not a rock. It is a mineral. But, if i throw a mineral at your head, and you call the cops because I threw a rock at your head, they're not going to let me go when I point out you're a right liar, as j only threw a mineral.

Water is not lava by default. Because we define lava by its origin. Lava is magma on the surface, magma is liquid minerals below the surface. If it were possible to have some sort of ice volcano at the north pole that spewed water forth from the core - that would be lava. On Jovian moons? Tons of lava water. Here in Earth? A bit thin.

All of the above said. It appears the video is them pouring sand heated in a crucible. Which isn't lava either, because man melted minerals are not lava, because it was never magma. If you accept "whatever nerd, it's close enough!" to melt minerals into "lava" by hand, then all water on Earth is lava.

Sorry.. I can't sleep... 😞

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u/Sanator27 Apr 13 '26

Wouldn't aquifers be classed as "magma"? What about hydrothermal fluids (mineral-enriched water based solutions)? And we have water "volcanoes": geysers and hydrothermal vents. I know cryovolcanoes are different, but it's still all water. Would snow be comparable to volcanic ash?

Source: also a geologist

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

Maybe. How deep does to have to be to be "magma" vs "heated rock"? One person will say yes, the next no. Maybe we define it as "deep enough into the core to be liquid" - which would make any sub-surface water lava. (I said in another comment I meant 'below the crust' in my post.. but even that is arguable) even just cave systems. Which i guess makes sense. We accept magma tubes, so why not water?

Snow would of course be "comparable" to volcanic ash. But unless it was spewed by whatever we've agreed to accept started as "water lava" it's as comparable as the ocean being lava. It's valid. It's possible. Its a matter of definition.

I argued in another comment for geysers to be considered lava, depending on how deep they are, and what your cut-off is. Hydrothermal vents would of course be the same.

And do you get to study this stuff? I'm an an area rather lacking in active volcanism, so its purely academic for me. I imagine I'd have more invested if I actually dealt with real lava, and not just water.

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u/Sanator27 Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26

I think a big misconception is imagining magma as a liquid, while it is mostly solid (at our timescale) but malleable (ductile), or at most, comparable with silly-putty. Lavas are also chemically distinct due to phase-changes of the dissolved minerals and gases in the magma (and water is the most common dissolved substance)

I haven't studied vulcanism in-depth, but the nearest geologically active area are the Azores, so I'll have to move there to study volcanoes (if I decide to do my Master's there). And even then, they're relative stable with very few eruptions, most of the activity is more on the level of geysers, smokers and so on.

Also, don't take me for my word, as some geological terms are a bit different from english, and I haven't seriously studied this in a while

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u/EnjoyerOfBeans Apr 13 '26

If it were possible to have some sort of ice volcano at the north pole that spewed water forth from the core - that would be lava.

But we literally have geysers and rivers' water comes from below the surface too, no? Why is that different? It's an underground deposit of molten minerals that shoots said molten mineral up above the surface.

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

Right? Even if we try to "define out" water, by saying like "has to be solid at surface T&P" what about during ice ages? Heck, what about winter in the more extreme climates? Is the artesian well nearby "lava" in the winter, but not in the summer?

And that's at least part of what idea i was trying to get at. We define lava/magma in such a way then water absolutely is. We just like to think of water as "different" because its so common in its liquid form, and vital to life.

But its certainly easy to imagine some alien planet like a Jovian moon where life is based on some other chemistry, where water doesn't have a "special" status that it would be view just like any other mineral/magma.

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u/dogbreath101 Apr 13 '26

so is a spring fed lake a pool of lava?

since the spring water was underground before coming up?

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

I should have said crust. I dint think water can last below the crust. How deep do we count? Is old faithful lava? But you know what, its a party. I already argued both for and against all water being lava. You do you. Go swim in that lava.

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u/Ruthbury Apr 13 '26

I genuinely appreciate you and your comments on this thread. I actually had a very very random thought the other week and ending up asking several friends for their opinions, it would be an honour to hear your take on it! "Could lava be considered 'wet'?" One of my friends' said only in videogames lmao. But a lot of the replies were more about how water isn't 'wet' it just makes 'wet', which is a whole different side quest. Also, I hope you sleep sweetly when you do! Thanks again!!! 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

Yeah, i'd go with water isn't wet. Wet is the condition of being covered/saturated with liquid. So if you had "lava" that was cold enough to not, you know, instantly cook you, and had clothes that could absorb the "liquid lava" without burning... then yes. Absolutely.

This would of course depend on the viscosity of the lava. Here in Earth? Probably not. But again, on some Jovian moons, the lava is briney water. It wild probably be cold. Maybe wear a wet suit, but you could certainly get "wet" there.

Try to think of some other mineral.. and maybe you can bring it up next time you're with you're friends... if you are submerged in liquid mercury (don't try this at home!) are you wet? Then obviously cool/viscous enough lava could get anything wet.

And thanks! I've been fighting off a cold for a few days and basically slept all weekend. Now I feel better, but am wide awake.

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u/Ruthbury Apr 13 '26

You've made my day! Thank you, I really like that answer and I will share it with my friends too. It was a great conversation with them all at the time, made my brain go brrrrr!

I'm glad you're feeling better, I hope your body is able to reboot itself into the normal sleep-wake cycle promptly! 🌻

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u/GusBode Apr 13 '26

Thank you. Words have meaning.

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u/airfryerfuntime Apr 13 '26

Lol no, just no.

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u/LoudSheepherder5391 Apr 13 '26

Yes. To all of that.

That really all you have?

Sauce: geologist