Pressure

noun

A pushing force spread across an area. Gas trapped inside a volcano pushes on the rocks around it — and if that pressure gets high enough, something has to give, and the volcano erupts.

Mechanical & Power Engineering — Axel
Go Deeper For parents & teachers
Force per unit area, typically measured in pascals (Pa), bars, or atmospheres (atm). In volcanology, the critical pressure is the gas pressure inside dissolved magma: as magma rises, the confining pressure falls, and dissolved gases come out of solution in the same way carbon dioxide does when you open a fizzy drink. The rate at which that happens is what controls whether an eruption is gentle or violent.

Appears In

The Burning Mountain Chapter 2 — Lina Hears the Mountain Speak

"… taught her to read any surface at first touch. Two fingers, light pressure, let the texture speak. It was one of the first things he had …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 7 — The Bear in the Smoke

"… flooded the warning station all at once - plume spread, heat patterns, pressure shifts, gas readings. She stared at the pattern for half a second, then …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 7 — The Bear in the Smoke

"… was obvious. The mountain was not just venting. It was reaching outward. Pressure underground was pushing sideways through the rock, testing old cracks, tracing paths beneath …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 8 — Gertie's Plan for Survival

"Lina spread her heat charts across the table. “The underground pressure is still spreading. I can estimate where the danger zones are, but I …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"Sketch tapped the map. "If debris jams the river bend, pressure pushes sideways here." He marked a crescent near the southern end. "Scour.""

The Burning Mountain Chapter 11 — The Lake That Boiled

"Cracker stared from the sinking basin to the valley below. "Then all the pressure calculations change.""

The Burning Mountain Chapter 11 — The Lake That Boiled

"She imagined where the water was going. Into heat. Into gas. Into pressure. Into places already connected to the roads, ridges, and vents across the valley …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 12 — When Plans Break

"Lina's gaze sharpened. "And your charges don't need to control the whole pressure field.""

The Burning Mountain Chapter 12 — When Plans Break

"… exhaustion from his eyes. "If I place charges based on the older pressure model, I could redirect gas away from the upper shelf. But if Lina …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 12 — When Plans Break

""The pressure may keep spreading sideways under the valley.""

See Also

Load Steam Tension Thermal