Fire versus ice: Video shows what happens when thermite meets a frozen lake

By Luke Dormehl February 17, 2017

Thermite vs. frozen lake

It’s one of the great philosophical brainteasers that generations of intellectuals have stroked their chins over: What happens if you detonate a whole lot of thermite on a frozen lake? That’s the question the folks behind YouTube channel Beyond the Press attempted to answer in their latest video, which follows a previous variation that introduced a red-hot, 20-kilo steel weight to the lake’s thick ice.

“The thermite versus frozen lake idea has been on my mind for quite a long time,” YouTuber Lauri Vuohensilta told Digital Trends.

As Vuohensilta noted, there are a number of popular videos online pitting thermite against ice, usually by burning the pyrotechnic powder on top of an ice block, resulting in some pretty dramatic explosions. That is (we think) because the heat from the burning thermite decomposes the water into hydrogen and oxygen, which then explodes when heated.

However, most people have not tried this experiment on such a large scale using a frozen lake.

So did it turn out to be the YouTube explosion of the century? As you will see from watching the video, not exactly.

“I wasn’t completely happy with the results,” Vuohensilta continued. “I think I am going to double the amount of thermite for the next try and use a different vessel. [But] I don’t want to overdo it because the explosion throws molten metal stuff all over the place, and I want to keep everything safe as possible.”

It’s not a waste of time, though. There is something weirdly fun about watching people investigate the quantity of thermite needed to melt through a frozen lake, even if they didn’t quite manage it on this occasion. And, hey, we now know that we want to visit Ylojarvi, Finland — provided they’re not shooting a follow-up video at that time.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

Emerging Tech

Meet the game-changing pitching robot that can perfectly mimic any human throw

baseball hitter swings and misses

Who’s your favorite baseball pitcher? Shane McClanahan? Sandy Alcantara? Justin Verlander? Whoever you said, two of the top sports-tech companies in the U.S. -- Rapsodo and Trajekt Sports -- have teamed up to build a robot version of them, and the results are reportedly uncannily accurate.

Okay, so we’re not talking about walking-talking-pitching standalone robots, as great a sci-fi-tinged MLB ad as that would be. However, Rapsodo and Trajekt have combined their considerable powers to throw a slew of different technologies at the problem of building a machine that's able to accurately simulate the pitching style of whichever player you want to practice batting against -- and they may just have pulled it off, too.

Outdoors

The best portable power stations

EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Emerging Tech

CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation

Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.