No pixie dust here! The hidden, scientifically accurate backstory of Tokyo DisneySea’s volcano
Tokyo Disney Resort, as anyone can tell you, is a land of magic and whimsy. As we’ve shown before, it’s also somewhere you can experience the pinnacle of attentive service, whether you’re an inattentive motorist or a lost cat . But did you know that in addition to all that, Tokyo DisneySea is actually a place that you can enjoy for its subtle yet precise depictions of natural science?
It’s true, as explained by one Japanese Twitter user who’s uncovered and documented the geological principles behind one of the park’s most iconic features.
It’s safe to say Twitter user Shohei Nanri’s inquisitive mind works a little differently than most people’s. On a recent trip to DisneySea, Nanri decided to search for ways to enjoy the park not as a star-struck animation fan, but as a scientist. He wasted no time, noticing that the globe in the center of the fountain outside the ticket booth has no tilt to its access.
エントランスを入ってすぐ、ディズニーシー・プラザにある地球儀。みんな記念写真を撮っていますが、よく見ると地軸が傾いていません。
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地球儀の周りにあるマンホールが12星座のデザインになっているので、これと関係しているのでは？と思われます。 http://t.co/CJgrmvWhrx
Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
But while that’s a miss in the scientific accuracy department, things quickly improved once inside the park itself. First stopping by the knowledge-themed Fortress Exploration complex, Nanri observed the castle’s Foucault pendulum, which knocks over a series of pins during the day due to the rotation of the earth.
フォートレス・エクスプロレーションにあるペンデュラム（振り子）は、時間が経つとピンを右に右に倒していきます。
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仕組みはフーコーの振り子と同じで、振動面が時間の経過とともに北半球で右に曲がるため。東京付近だと１時間に約７度右にずれます。 http://t.co/RQI4XQdr4Y
Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
And while he’s not sure if Disney’s Imagineers planned it or not, Nanri found a waterfall in the walkway linking the Mermaid Lagoon and Mysterious Island Sections of the park (directly opposite the gyoza dog concession stand) where the light refracts into a rainbow at precisely 12 noon on sunny days.
マーメイドラグーンとミステリアスアイランドの間（餃子ドックの向い）にある滝。狙ってるのかわかりませんが、晴れた日の12時に行くと虹が見られます。 #tds #地学 http://t.co/qqfKniHd5A
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
But where things start to get really interesting is inside Mysterious Island, the design of which is, ironically, remarkably sensible if you know the science behind it.
ミステリアスアイランドにあるプロメテウス火山。標高は51mでシンデレラ城と同じだそうです。常に噴気をあげていて、間欠的に火を噴く、ストロンボリ式？の火山です。でも残念ながら噴くのは溶岩ではなくてガソリン？の火ですが。 #tds #地学 http://t.co/HbejaFgvdt
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
The most dynamic feature of the area is Mount Prometheus, a constantly smoldering volcano that soars some 51 meters (167.3 feet) above guests’ heads. Much as Cinderella’s Castle is the symbol of Tokyo Disneyland, Mount Prometheus is the first image that comes to mind for many when they think of Disney Sea. Its non-Japanese name isn’t just a quick way to add a bit of worldly flair, though.
As Nanri explains, the lava of most Japanese volcanoes is highly viscous, so once its destructive path is halted, it tends to harden into symmetrical masses. But take a look at the volcanic runoff at Disney Sea.
プロメテウス火山からはパホイホイ溶岩が流下しています。ハワイなどの低粘性のマグマから流れるパホイホイ溶岩は、縄状溶岩などの特徴的な模様を作ります。日本の火山の多くはこれと対称的な高粘性のアア溶岩が多いです。 #tds #地学 http://t.co/Q1t1YahHtK
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
Those ropy, coiled formations are the product of a low-viscosity lava flow, closer to the pahoehoe style seen in other countries than Japan’s indigenous a’a lava flows. As such, it stand to reason that Mount Prometheus isn’t a Japanese volcano, and therefore it wouldn’t make sense for it to have a Japanese name.
But that’s just the start of the tale Disney Sea’s lava has to tell. Looking at the map, we can see that following an eruption, some of Mount Prometheus’ lava would flow towards the shoreline that separates it from the Mediterranean Harbor.
The molten rock would cool as it travelled, and Nanri explains that once it did, it could solidify in hexagonal columns, which is exactly what you can see near the waterfront.
プロメテウス火山からメディテレーニアンハーバー側に流れている溶岩流の一部は立派な柱状節理を呈しています。柱状節理の多くは六角柱で、溶けていた溶岩が最も効率良く収縮して固結する形が六角柱だそうです。 #tds #地学 http://t.co/YHuBcirA1m
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
That’s not the only effect an eruption would have on the surrounding landscape, though. The entrances to both of Mysterious Island’s rides, Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, owe the look of their entrances and line-up areas to the nearby volcanic activity.
▼ Locations of Journey to the Center of the Earth (1) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2)
Let’s start with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, where parkgoers hop aboard a vessel and become part of Captain Nemo’s crew of explorers.
ミステリアスアイランドの中心はネモ船長の秘密基地になっています．実はここ，マグマ水蒸気爆発によってできた火口湖で，この様な凹地状の小火口をマールと言います．今も間欠泉や温泉のようなものが湧いています． #tds #地学 http://t.co/wVWDXwlpqZ
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
You might notice the sunken body of water is surrounded by craggy rock formations. How come? Because, as Nanri explains, it’s a crater lake formed by a steam explosion, which explains why you can still see some sort of gas fizzing to the surface of the water in the above photo.
However, the scientific significance is deepest, appropriately, at Journey to the Center of the Earth.
低粘性の溶岩流では、空気と触れている表面が固まっても内部はまだ流動していて、最終的に空洞ができる事があります。センター・オブ・ジ・アースの入口付近はその様にしてできた溶岩トンネルという構造です。 http://t.co/DdSwpHIbHE
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
Given the theme of the attraction, it’s no surprise that the entrance leads guests through a cave. This isn’t just any cave, though. Coming back once again to that low-viscosity lava, the thinner consistency means that even as the top layer of the flow comes into contact with the air, cools, and hardens, the lower layers can stay in motion, in the process forming a tunnel just like the ones the line for the ride snakes through.
溶岩トンネル内を別の溶岩流が再び流下すると、以前にできた底を溶かして、トンネルの高さを広げる事があり、同時にトンネルの壁にベンチの様な台ができる事があります。
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センター・オブ・ジ・アースの前のトンネル内には、きちんと再現されています。 http://t.co/BtMWJw7Pis
Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
In the case of repeated eruptions, the next lava flow would come through and melt away the hardened rock, making the cavity larger and also creating the shelf-like ripples on its walls.
Of course, while this is the scientific way in which the tunnel would form, it’s still not a controlled, entirely stable method. A lack of structural integrity in spots is to be expected, which accounts for the skylight-like openings that can be occasionally seen overhead.
Finally, Nanri leaves us with one last example of attention to minute details.
センター・オブ…の前の溶岩トンネルをよく観察すると、所々汚く汚れているところがあります。これ、ディズニーの手抜きではなくて、溶岩中から溶け出した硫黄鉱物の再結晶です。芸が細かい。 #tds #地学 http://t.co/KKoaG7ciIR
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Shohei NANRI (@shonanaqr) February 25, 2015
Looking up at those streaks of discoloration, you might think it’s just accumulated grime, or maybe water staining. It’s neither, though, according to Anri, who points out that this is what would happen as the sulfur deposits which melted in the lava flow later recrystallize.
In other words, the effect is entirely intentional. After all, if DisneySea’s staff spent this much time thinking about how the park’s fake volcano should look according to real science, do you really think they’d be too lazy to grab a bucket and mop?
Source: Togetter
Top image: Twitter ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Tokyo DisneySea ( 1 , 2 ) (edited by RocketNews24)
