Question: Is it possible to measure the temperature of the inside of an erupting volcano? If so how do they measure it?

Matthew Pankhurst answered on 17 Jun 2013:

There are a couple of ways off the top of my head. One is by putting what is called a thermocouple on the ground, and letting the lava flow across it – it is made of special wire so it doesn’t melt. It reads the temperature like using a thermometer when you’re sick. Another is heat sensing cameras, a bit like on nature documentaries when it’s looking at animals in the dark, except these measure very high temperatures. Another way is knowing what temperature some elements go into some minerals. This is a bit more technical, but it means that you can go up to the lava once it’s cooled down, get the minerals out, measure the element in the mineral and say how hot it used to be!