In the weird-ways-to-start-a-fire department, the 800-acre Lighthouse Fire last month was caused by two boulders. According to Utah state fire investigators, the fire started July 18 when a boulder fell 800 feet from a cliff face, bounced several times, then collided with a larger boulder and came to “an instantaneous stop.” Jason Curry, spokesman for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, told the Deseret News that it’s a rare incident.
The boulder was about the size of a refrigerator, and it smacked a boulder the size of a sport utility vehicle. Curry said the pressure friction generated heat, which set off the fire in dry grass and brush.
Yeah, Bogie… a fire piston can sure start a fire.
Here’s the proof:
http://www.brynmawr.edu/chemistry/Chem/sburgmay/chem104/7genProbs.htm#_msoanchor_2
But remember… the smaller boulder came to “an ‘instantaneous’ stop.”
Which, in terms of actual time, would be roughly 5.4×10 to the minus 43 seconds, commonly known as 1 ‘Planck Time’.
Dang… the fire piston effect needs a little more time… (-:
OK, I’ll work on the acres to square miles conversion problem ‘awhile’.
Carry on… lol
OCR
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instantaneous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awhile
Maybe sort of a fire piston effect?
http://www.grannysstore.com/Wilderness_Survival/fire_pistons.htm
Thanks for the interesting report. As a wildland arson investigator over the years I found some unusual fire starts but this one is a rare, but it could happen cause. Good job by the investigators.