Museum of Science and Industry

While Syracuse University can offer a lot of great amenities on its college campus, it wasn’t until a recent project began, headed by a professor of Earth Sciences, that it could boast its own controllable lava flow.

As part of a collaborative experiment, artistic medium, and educational tool, the lava flow, located in one of the campus’ parking lots, offers faculty, students, and the public a chance to watch the natural tendencies of lava in action under controlled conditions. The lava flow is created by melting crushed basalt, a type of igneous volcanic rock, in a specialized furnace, and it’s then poured out for a pretty amazing spectacle that you can check out in the video above.

While it’s true that this is likely the closest that New York will come to experiencing a volcanic eruption, it’s pretty cool to be able to watch this geological phenomenon first hand without any of the risk!

Syracuse Makes Real Lava in Parking Lot for Kicks and Science [Ars Technica]