But what happens if you are faced with the prospect of walking on lava? On a holiday to Kilauea in Hawaii, neuroscientist Alex Rivest decided to find out what happens when a person walks on lava.
Lava is around 700 to 1,200 °C (1,292 to 2,192 °F) when it emerges from a volcano and then makes its way to the path of least resistance. “While this may not be surprising, many people think of lava as more of a hot-watery-like substance,’ said Mr Rivest.
‘You would never fall into a lava lake the way you would a swimming pool, the molten rock is much more dense, so you would simply land on it, sink a little, and be burned.’
In October, lava burned a house and covered part of a cemetery but stalled just before hitting Pahoa's main road.
Here is a video showing footage of a man taking five steps up a flow of lava on Mount Etna in Sicily.
The film was analyzed by a geoscientist who has confirmed it is possible to walk on lava.
Erik Klemetti, from Denis University in Ohio, explained that when boiling hot lava hits the cool air, it forms a dark crust that can be stood on; for a short period of time.
And although lava appears to flow like a stream, it is more viscous than water, which Mr Klemetti claims it can withstand a small amount of pressure.
Mr Klametti explained that falling into lava would cause the water inside a human body to boil, turn to steam and the person would 'explode from within.'
Here's another video of a man running on lava. Source