US Geographic Service: Don’t Roast Marshmallows Over Hawaii Volcano

After issuing the highest-level alert for Hawaii’s erupting volcano and providing a series of more serious updates, the U.S. Geographic Service took a moment Monday to remind us all that roasting marshmallows over an active volcano is a very, very bad idea. @Jayfur took to Twitter Monday night to ask the Service his “burning” question: “Is it safe to roast marshmallows over volcanic vents? Assuming you had a long enough stick, that is? Or would the resulting marshmallows be poisonous?” Within five minutes, the Service responded, noting that it would not only be unsafe (surprise surprise), but the resulting toasted marshmallow would taste a lot like sulfur dioxide and create a “pretty spectacular” chemical reaction. “Erm...we're going to have to say no, that's not safe. (Please don't try!) If the vent is emitting a lot of SO2 or H2S, they would taste BAD. And if you add sulfuric acid (in vog, for example) to sugar, you get a pretty spectacular reaction,” USGS Volcanoes wrote.