DANTE'S PEAK FILM ANALYSIS
Relations Between The Film And Disaster:
The film takes place in a town called "Dantes peak", which is named after a large active volcano that sits on the edge of the town, nestled along its base.
The movie starts off in Columbia, where the main character, "Dr. Dalton" (a specialized volcanologist) is racing to escape the Columbian city, because of a catastrophic erupting volcano. Dalton escapes, but his fiancé is killed in the evacuation. The disaster wipes out the town, and the scene cuts.
After the disaster, four years pass, and Dr. Dalton is called on to a skeptical new volcanic site, which may have the potential of becoming active and erupting. After conducting research to test the PH of the nearby lake, Dalton realizes the acidic levels are much higher than they should be, and eventually discovers two boiled corpses in the local towns hot springs, where sudden high temperatures and high acidity killed the people almost immediately.
A team of volcanologists is then called in, and the leader doesn't want to start mass public hysteria about a disaster that may or may not occur, and decides not to put the town on high alert, rather just keep the town quiet until more research and answers are concluded. Dalton understands the horror that is coming for them but does not have the authority to make the shots, which turns out to be a grave mistake. Daltons worst nightmares are about to be re-lived, once again.
The movie plays out and the un-expecting town of Dante's peak is faced with a series of micro earthquakes, and then a much larger one, when the town is finally called to an evacuation meeting. In the local high-school gym, where the meeting takes place, violent shakes, and panic strikes the citizens, who in a frantic rush, race to exit the gym. From this point on the volcano is showing very strong signs of activity ( black ash is starting to exit the opening) its a ticking time bomb, and its only a matter of minutes before the volcano erupts.
The disaster moves the story forward, through witnessing the escape of Dr. Dalton, the mayor, and her kids, who in fear, leave the home to rescue the ignorant grandmother, who's holding tight in her home near the base of the mountain, and at the edge of the lake. The Dr. and mayor, race toward the mountain thats ready to blow, to save the kids. After barely making it to the home, due to many tribulations they find the kids and grandmother, but are trapped because the road became blocked off behind them (caused by tectonic plate movement, the mountains shake, and debris falls from the mountain). They find an alternate route out of the area, going across the lake. While lightning is striking all around them, in the volcanic ash clouds, they discover an old metal boat and decide to ride it across the lake to safety on the other side. Once on the water, they notice the boat has started to leak, and come to find out the boat is literally melting, due to the volcanic activity turning the water into sizzling acid. The acid eats away the motor some 20 feet from the boat dock, and is leaking inside the boat faster and faster, they have but seconds left before they all sink into the burning acid water. The grandmother makes a bold, suicidal, and courageous move, and leaps into the water to drag them onto the dock, where they ironically barely escape.
The rest of the film depicts the narrow escape and later rescue of the Dr., Mayor, and the children. They drive their vehicle into an old mining cave for shelter from the pyroclastic cloud thats moving at gods speed toward them, and end up using a NASA tracking device to send out a signal, so that they could be rescued. Two days pass, and the signal was received, Dalton, the mayor, and her family are saved. And the little town of Dantes Peak is forever inhabitable, the scene looks something like Pompeii. Some 4-5 feet of ash blankets and the ruins of what was once a town.
Science Behind the Dante's Peak Volcano
and Realities Behind the Phenomenon:
The films setting is set in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A, although mostly shot in parts of Idaho. Dante's peak is of course not real, but the LandCruiser that the mayor drives had a Washington State license plate, and Washington does in fact have active volcanoes. And so, when volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Alaska erupt, they often do so very explosively, and produce pyroclastic flows, ash falls, and debris flows of mud or (lahars). Lahars are what typically destroy houses, bridges, buildings, etc... and in 1985, at the Nevada del Ruiz volcano, in Colombia, (where the beginning setting of the film takes place) Lahars killed more than 23,000 people. (Pyroclastic Flow Footage- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvjwt9nnwXY)
Hot, runny, and fast moving lava (basalt) seen in the film is usually found from shield" volcanoes or the volcanoes that created the Hawaiian islands. Although at the cascade volcanoes (like the Mt. St. Helens Dome volcano) the Lava is usually thick and has a high viscosity, meaning it is slow moving and rarely moves far from the vent of the volcano. Stratovolcanoes like the one in Dante's Peak usually don't ever produce pyroclastic clouds and lava flows in the same eruption. So that portion of the film was obviously a hollywood depiction of a volcanic disaster.
Lava is extremely hot, (over 1500 F) and most any type of flammable materials would burst into flame if even brought near the radiative heat from the lava. So the scene where they are driving through the lava, and the tires are just slightly melting and deforming is quite fictitious. Ive read that if a car was to be on lava, it would be but seconds before the entire car bursts into flames, and melts into the flow of lava.
Although interestingly enough, the science behind the acid lake is based of facts. The acid lakes around volcanoes can become extremely acidic, and yes the metal boat in the water would corrode and if the metal were very thin, it could happen in the amount of time the boat was dissolving in the film. But the boat was not very thin and it would have taken much longer for it to dissipate into the water. The acids present in lakes near active volcanoes consist of mostly, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid but can have many others. The acid can be thousands of times more acidic than lemon juice, or vinegar.
The scene near the beginning of the film, shows a couple sitting in "twonset" hot springs, and after a minute or two of bathing, the couple experiences a surge of boiling water and they see bright "red hot" light as it heats up and enters the pot below them. The red light would not occur, although changes in the earths shifts of tectonic plate,s can create fractures in the earths hot water canals, and could potentially heat up very rapidly and cause death, but major earthquake activity would need to set off the temperature change first.
Magmatic carbon dioxide is a real thing, the animals and trees dying in the film can and have happened in real life. The carbon dioxide gas released from magma in underground chambers, can accumulate in the earths top layer (dirt and soil) and kill living organisms by suffocation. Like most living creatures, we need oxygen to breathe and when that supply is overwhelmed by carbon dioxide, the result is death due to lack of respiration. So the squirrels that were dying, suffered from Co2 displacement of oxygen-gas in the soil spaces where subterranean creatures live. Basically died from a lack of oxygen, or in other words, suffocation.
Scientists have come to understand that volcanoes can become restless, and can erupt with only weeks or even days warning. The first steam eruption at Mount St. Helens
on March 27, 1980 gave a warning lasting 7 days of intense earthquake activity before erupting. Although, the climactic eruption occurred on May 18th, 7 weeks later. The eruption of the Redoubt Volcano in Alaska in 1989, gave only 24 hours of intense earthquake activity before erupting. This shows the unpredictable nature of volcanoes and the difficulty in trying to predict when exactly a volcano will erupt, leaving unsuspecting towns vulnerable to false alerts and societal economic failures. And can lead the general public to believe that after one false alarm, they shouldn't have to worry about future alerts, and may die because of ignorance to the life-threating situations, that may or may not occur.
Citations:
"A Geological Guidebook to Dante's Peak." A Geological Guidebook to "Volcano Movies" Such as Dante's Peak, Etc. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.geol.umd.edu/facilities/lmdr/dante/dante.htm>.
"Dante's Peak - Fact and Fiction." Dantes Peak Movie-Volcano Facts-geoteach. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.geolor.com/geoteach/Dantes_Peak_Movie_Volcano_Facts_geoteach.htm>.
"Frequently Asked Questions About Volcanoes in Movies." Frequently Asked Questions About Volcanoes in Movies. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/faq/faqmovie.php>.
"The Accuracy of 10 Disaster Flicks." Msnbc.com. N.p., 13 June 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25101191/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/accuracy-disaster-flicks/>.
"USGS Volcano Hazards Program Glossary." USGS Volcano Hazards Program Glossary. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/>.
The film takes place in a town called "Dantes peak", which is named after a large active volcano that sits on the edge of the town, nestled along its base.
The movie starts off in Columbia, where the main character, "Dr. Dalton" (a specialized volcanologist) is racing to escape the Columbian city, because of a catastrophic erupting volcano. Dalton escapes, but his fiancé is killed in the evacuation. The disaster wipes out the town, and the scene cuts.
After the disaster, four years pass, and Dr. Dalton is called on to a skeptical new volcanic site, which may have the potential of becoming active and erupting. After conducting research to test the PH of the nearby lake, Dalton realizes the acidic levels are much higher than they should be, and eventually discovers two boiled corpses in the local towns hot springs, where sudden high temperatures and high acidity killed the people almost immediately.
A team of volcanologists is then called in, and the leader doesn't want to start mass public hysteria about a disaster that may or may not occur, and decides not to put the town on high alert, rather just keep the town quiet until more research and answers are concluded. Dalton understands the horror that is coming for them but does not have the authority to make the shots, which turns out to be a grave mistake. Daltons worst nightmares are about to be re-lived, once again.
The movie plays out and the un-expecting town of Dante's peak is faced with a series of micro earthquakes, and then a much larger one, when the town is finally called to an evacuation meeting. In the local high-school gym, where the meeting takes place, violent shakes, and panic strikes the citizens, who in a frantic rush, race to exit the gym. From this point on the volcano is showing very strong signs of activity ( black ash is starting to exit the opening) its a ticking time bomb, and its only a matter of minutes before the volcano erupts.
The disaster moves the story forward, through witnessing the escape of Dr. Dalton, the mayor, and her kids, who in fear, leave the home to rescue the ignorant grandmother, who's holding tight in her home near the base of the mountain, and at the edge of the lake. The Dr. and mayor, race toward the mountain thats ready to blow, to save the kids. After barely making it to the home, due to many tribulations they find the kids and grandmother, but are trapped because the road became blocked off behind them (caused by tectonic plate movement, the mountains shake, and debris falls from the mountain). They find an alternate route out of the area, going across the lake. While lightning is striking all around them, in the volcanic ash clouds, they discover an old metal boat and decide to ride it across the lake to safety on the other side. Once on the water, they notice the boat has started to leak, and come to find out the boat is literally melting, due to the volcanic activity turning the water into sizzling acid. The acid eats away the motor some 20 feet from the boat dock, and is leaking inside the boat faster and faster, they have but seconds left before they all sink into the burning acid water. The grandmother makes a bold, suicidal, and courageous move, and leaps into the water to drag them onto the dock, where they ironically barely escape.
The rest of the film depicts the narrow escape and later rescue of the Dr., Mayor, and the children. They drive their vehicle into an old mining cave for shelter from the pyroclastic cloud thats moving at gods speed toward them, and end up using a NASA tracking device to send out a signal, so that they could be rescued. Two days pass, and the signal was received, Dalton, the mayor, and her family are saved. And the little town of Dantes Peak is forever inhabitable, the scene looks something like Pompeii. Some 4-5 feet of ash blankets and the ruins of what was once a town.
Science Behind the Dante's Peak Volcano
and Realities Behind the Phenomenon:
The films setting is set in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A, although mostly shot in parts of Idaho. Dante's peak is of course not real, but the LandCruiser that the mayor drives had a Washington State license plate, and Washington does in fact have active volcanoes. And so, when volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Alaska erupt, they often do so very explosively, and produce pyroclastic flows, ash falls, and debris flows of mud or (lahars). Lahars are what typically destroy houses, bridges, buildings, etc... and in 1985, at the Nevada del Ruiz volcano, in Colombia, (where the beginning setting of the film takes place) Lahars killed more than 23,000 people. (Pyroclastic Flow Footage- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvjwt9nnwXY)
Hot, runny, and fast moving lava (basalt) seen in the film is usually found from shield" volcanoes or the volcanoes that created the Hawaiian islands. Although at the cascade volcanoes (like the Mt. St. Helens Dome volcano) the Lava is usually thick and has a high viscosity, meaning it is slow moving and rarely moves far from the vent of the volcano. Stratovolcanoes like the one in Dante's Peak usually don't ever produce pyroclastic clouds and lava flows in the same eruption. So that portion of the film was obviously a hollywood depiction of a volcanic disaster.
Lava is extremely hot, (over 1500 F) and most any type of flammable materials would burst into flame if even brought near the radiative heat from the lava. So the scene where they are driving through the lava, and the tires are just slightly melting and deforming is quite fictitious. Ive read that if a car was to be on lava, it would be but seconds before the entire car bursts into flames, and melts into the flow of lava.
Although interestingly enough, the science behind the acid lake is based of facts. The acid lakes around volcanoes can become extremely acidic, and yes the metal boat in the water would corrode and if the metal were very thin, it could happen in the amount of time the boat was dissolving in the film. But the boat was not very thin and it would have taken much longer for it to dissipate into the water. The acids present in lakes near active volcanoes consist of mostly, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid but can have many others. The acid can be thousands of times more acidic than lemon juice, or vinegar.
The scene near the beginning of the film, shows a couple sitting in "twonset" hot springs, and after a minute or two of bathing, the couple experiences a surge of boiling water and they see bright "red hot" light as it heats up and enters the pot below them. The red light would not occur, although changes in the earths shifts of tectonic plate,s can create fractures in the earths hot water canals, and could potentially heat up very rapidly and cause death, but major earthquake activity would need to set off the temperature change first.
Magmatic carbon dioxide is a real thing, the animals and trees dying in the film can and have happened in real life. The carbon dioxide gas released from magma in underground chambers, can accumulate in the earths top layer (dirt and soil) and kill living organisms by suffocation. Like most living creatures, we need oxygen to breathe and when that supply is overwhelmed by carbon dioxide, the result is death due to lack of respiration. So the squirrels that were dying, suffered from Co2 displacement of oxygen-gas in the soil spaces where subterranean creatures live. Basically died from a lack of oxygen, or in other words, suffocation.
Scientists have come to understand that volcanoes can become restless, and can erupt with only weeks or even days warning. The first steam eruption at Mount St. Helens
on March 27, 1980 gave a warning lasting 7 days of intense earthquake activity before erupting. Although, the climactic eruption occurred on May 18th, 7 weeks later. The eruption of the Redoubt Volcano in Alaska in 1989, gave only 24 hours of intense earthquake activity before erupting. This shows the unpredictable nature of volcanoes and the difficulty in trying to predict when exactly a volcano will erupt, leaving unsuspecting towns vulnerable to false alerts and societal economic failures. And can lead the general public to believe that after one false alarm, they shouldn't have to worry about future alerts, and may die because of ignorance to the life-threating situations, that may or may not occur.
Citations:
"A Geological Guidebook to Dante's Peak." A Geological Guidebook to "Volcano Movies" Such as Dante's Peak, Etc. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.geol.umd.edu/facilities/lmdr/dante/dante.htm>.
"Dante's Peak - Fact and Fiction." Dantes Peak Movie-Volcano Facts-geoteach. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.geolor.com/geoteach/Dantes_Peak_Movie_Volcano_Facts_geoteach.htm>.
"Frequently Asked Questions About Volcanoes in Movies." Frequently Asked Questions About Volcanoes in Movies. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/faq/faqmovie.php>.
"The Accuracy of 10 Disaster Flicks." Msnbc.com. N.p., 13 June 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25101191/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/accuracy-disaster-flicks/>.
"USGS Volcano Hazards Program Glossary." USGS Volcano Hazards Program Glossary. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/>.