In the Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius

You chose answer 4.

Bad news, because the plug's presence indicates that the next eruption is likely to be explosive—producing a deadly, avalanche-like pyrocastic flow of gas, rocks, and hot ash—rather than a relatively harmless effusive eruption of hot but slow-moving lava.

Happily for you, but sadly for Naples, you're correct! Scientists believe that when Vesuvius next erupts, it will pop like a bottle of champagne (think of the plug as a cork), producing an explosion and pyroclastic flow that could rival the disasters of 1631, or even 79 A.D.

Test your knowledge against next week's icy Challenge!