Vulcania is in Saint-Ourse-Les Roches, a 20-minute drive from Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of Auvergne in central France, and with an odd black cathedral built with volcanic rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulcania opened in 2002 and celebrated its 20th anniversary with new exhibits. The geological park sits on a 93,000-year-old and 40-kilometer-long volcanic range known for its Sleeping Giants\u2013the dormant volcanoes rising in the countryside as grassy pyramidal mountains. The highest and youngest is Puy de D\u00f4me, peaking at 1,465 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulcania’s landmark is a curious 28-meter-high conic structure wrapped in sheets of volcanic rock “to reflect the light without blinding.” The inside is definitely high-tech: the gold liner is made of stainless steel tinted with vaporized titanium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of Fun and Fear<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nI am here to explore the guts of the Earth in a make-believe facility, through exhibits and attractions filled with extremes: interactive platforms, virtual explosions on gigantic screens, and the chance to ponder the origin of a half-ton metallic meteorite that must have hit Earth in its earliest days. All are unique experiences to learn, feel, and imagine the fantastic power of planet Earth\u2014and fear its wrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s the pairing of reality and simulation that is most captivating here. With a 35-meter-deep crater, a caldera, and a lava tunnel, most of the Vulcania site hides under the volcanic subsoil, in the lava of a volcano that erupted 30,000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Down there, The Dragon Ride introduces us to the world of volcanology before it existed scientifically. I feel the breath of dragons, the Earth rolling under my feet, and something mysterious poking me in the back. The sound and visual effects show how mythical creatures such as dragons were invented to explain natural phenomena before science existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fun becomes serious at Mission Toba. <\/em>It shows the story of the super volcano that erupted in Indonesia some 74,000 years ago. As I watch the fictionalized, yet scientifically based vision of that doomsday eruption, I ponder what dormant<\/em> really means. I am, after all, standing in the middle of the dormant<\/em> volcanic region of Auvergne. Could any of these mountains explode again? Hum…<\/p>\n\n\n\nI discover what would happen at The Awakening of the Sleeping Giants of Auvergne attraction. I watch a grassy mount blow up in smoke and I get startled when the cap explodes and the volcano spits\u00a0rocks and fire\u2026 like a furious dragon. Animals flee from woods and burrows while a bellowing ashy mass drifts over the shaken, yet still verdant countryside. Magma spills down the slopes, scorching everything on its way. My jaw drops, and my mouth is dry: it’s make-believe but the emotions are real. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Volcanoes of the World<\/strong><\/em> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nLater, I mull over an interactive map showing the location of a dozen super-volcano sites in the world. The mightiest one? Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming: 10,000 times more powerful than a regular volcano. Some researchers claim that it would plunge the planet into a volcanic winter for several years and wipe out part of the human population. Don\u2019t panic and keep on reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am particularly interested in an exhibit on the Pacific Northwest where I live. The Cascade Range display informs on the 1980 devastating eruption of Mount St. Helens. It had been dormant for 123 years, but it\u2019s\u00a0a mere blink of an eye in volcano time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearby Mounts Baker, Hood, and Shasta are still holding their fire. And so are most of the 1,500 active and dormant volcanoes worldwide. Meanwhile, two dozen of them are in an eruptive phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Geological Scientists at Heart <\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nVulcania was the vision of Katia and Maurice Krafft, two French vulcanists who perished from a pyroclastic flow (an eruption of volcanic rocks and searing gases) at Mount Unzen, in 1991, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, along with their American colleague Harry Glicken and 41 others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibit Volcano Devils memorializes their life mission: to witness and understand volcanic eruptions to educate and help reduce, if not prevent volcanic disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps Vulcania will spark a vocation in the teenage visitors who enjoy the serious fun of the educational rides, and those enrolled in Vulcania\u2019s scholastic science programs. They might ask why the magma is red whereas\u00a0the interior of the planets is primarily green, and differentiate magma<\/em> (the underground molten rock) from lava<\/em> (the ejected molten rock). <\/p>\n\n\n\nHere, they also learn that geologists delve into the physical records of volcanoes to trace prehistoric eruptions dozens of millennia back, that the work of geophysicists and geochemists deals with the\u00a0underground layers, and that meteorologists keep track of dust and gases in the atmosphere around the globe. Through fun, thrill, and fear, they learn about the science of volcanology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the little kids, their height determines which attraction is suitable. The Children’s Lab<\/a> introduces them to natural phenomena while animated dinosaurs await in the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFor Peace of Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I discover what would happen at The Awakening of the Sleeping Giants of Auvergne attraction. I watch a grassy mount blow up in smoke and I get startled when the cap explodes and the volcano spits\u00a0rocks and fire\u2026 like a furious dragon. Animals flee from woods and burrows while a bellowing ashy mass drifts over the shaken, yet still verdant countryside. Magma spills down the slopes, scorching everything on its way. My jaw drops, and my mouth is dry: it’s make-believe but the emotions are real. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Volcanoes of the World<\/strong><\/em> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nLater, I mull over an interactive map showing the location of a dozen super-volcano sites in the world. The mightiest one? Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming: 10,000 times more powerful than a regular volcano. Some researchers claim that it would plunge the planet into a volcanic winter for several years and wipe out part of the human population. Don\u2019t panic and keep on reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am particularly interested in an exhibit on the Pacific Northwest where I live. The Cascade Range display informs on the 1980 devastating eruption of Mount St. Helens. It had been dormant for 123 years, but it\u2019s\u00a0a mere blink of an eye in volcano time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearby Mounts Baker, Hood, and Shasta are still holding their fire. And so are most of the 1,500 active and dormant volcanoes worldwide. Meanwhile, two dozen of them are in an eruptive phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Geological Scientists at Heart <\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nVulcania was the vision of Katia and Maurice Krafft, two French vulcanists who perished from a pyroclastic flow (an eruption of volcanic rocks and searing gases) at Mount Unzen, in 1991, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, along with their American colleague Harry Glicken and 41 others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibit Volcano Devils memorializes their life mission: to witness and understand volcanic eruptions to educate and help reduce, if not prevent volcanic disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps Vulcania will spark a vocation in the teenage visitors who enjoy the serious fun of the educational rides, and those enrolled in Vulcania\u2019s scholastic science programs. They might ask why the magma is red whereas\u00a0the interior of the planets is primarily green, and differentiate magma<\/em> (the underground molten rock) from lava<\/em> (the ejected molten rock). <\/p>\n\n\n\nHere, they also learn that geologists delve into the physical records of volcanoes to trace prehistoric eruptions dozens of millennia back, that the work of geophysicists and geochemists deals with the\u00a0underground layers, and that meteorologists keep track of dust and gases in the atmosphere around the globe. Through fun, thrill, and fear, they learn about the science of volcanology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the little kids, their height determines which attraction is suitable. The Children’s Lab<\/a> introduces them to natural phenomena while animated dinosaurs await in the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFor Peace of Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Vulcania was the vision of Katia and Maurice Krafft, two French vulcanists who perished from a pyroclastic flow (an eruption of volcanic rocks and searing gases) at Mount Unzen, in 1991, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, along with their American colleague Harry Glicken and 41 others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibit Volcano Devils memorializes their life mission: to witness and understand volcanic eruptions to educate and help reduce, if not prevent volcanic disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps Vulcania will spark a vocation in the teenage visitors who enjoy the serious fun of the educational rides, and those enrolled in Vulcania\u2019s scholastic science programs. They might ask why the magma is red whereas\u00a0the interior of the planets is primarily green, and differentiate magma<\/em> (the underground molten rock) from lava<\/em> (the ejected molten rock). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, they also learn that geologists delve into the physical records of volcanoes to trace prehistoric eruptions dozens of millennia back, that the work of geophysicists and geochemists deals with the\u00a0underground layers, and that meteorologists keep track of dust and gases in the atmosphere around the globe. Through fun, thrill, and fear, they learn about the science of volcanology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the little kids, their height determines which attraction is suitable. The Children’s Lab<\/a> introduces them to natural phenomena while animated dinosaurs await in the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFor Peace of Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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