Continuity mistake: When Dr. Jaye Calder is attending to the injured fireman on the road, Roark comes up and in one particular shot is near the fireman's side. In the following shot he is at the fireman's head, not at his side. (00:36:55)
Continuity mistake: When the lava first comes out of the Tar Pits near the beginning, two cars drive past it. In the next shot a bit further away, one of the cars on the left is now a 4x4, which was not in the previous shot. (00:38:40)
Continuity mistake: When Roark is trying to get a radio, and Emmitt is watching on the big screen in the OEM building, there is a black man behind him who is talking to the guy with the headset on. In one shot the black guy is almost back to back with Emmitt and looks over his shoulder to look at the screen, yet when it cuts, the black guy is talking to the other guy but is not back to back with Emmitt. (00:43:25)
Continuity mistake: When Roark has been seen looking for a radio, there is a bloke behind Emmit who has a headset on. The camera does an instant cut to the front and the headset has gone. (00:43:40)
Continuity mistake: There is a shot of a 'hippy' style car with lots of slogans and messages written all over it, melting, but in a shot much later on, the same car is still in amongst the lava flow, when it should have melted already. You can tell its the same car from the megaphone on the roof. (00:53:20 - 01:00:40)
Continuity mistake: When the train boss sacrifices himself by throwing the train driver over the lava flow, he only just manages to throw him past the flow. But in the following shots where it shows the other rescuers view of the lava flowing toward them, the position of them and the lava coming toward them mean they should be burnt by now. (00:59:40)
Continuity mistake: Before they build the lava dam, when Mike flips over a map on the hood of a truck to draw on it the map is clear of ash. In the next shot from across the hood the map is covered with ash. The next close up it is ash free again. (01:02:25)
Continuity mistake: Near the end, when the big black guy shake hands with the cop, the blonde haired cop standing next to him is looking to his right, yet in the following shot he is looking to his left. (01:12:40)
Continuity mistake: Near the end, Roark and Amy are standing over the grid in the street, and when Roark says something like, "I'm not letting you go down there it's too dangerous," Amy is looking down at the grid in the road, but in the following shot she is looking directly at Roark. (01:14:40)
Continuity mistake: The severity of Kelly's wound to the face constantly changes. Some shots it's extremely red and raw, others it's only slightly red. (01:22:00 - 01:22:30)
Continuity mistake: When Roark is running to save his daughter, the camera cuts to his point of view and Kelly is shielding the boy with her back towards Roark, yet in the following shot when Roark goes to grab her she is now standing at a side. (01:28:15)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the film, when Tommy Lee Jones steps out of the rubble with his daughter and the young boy, in one shot Tommy Lee Jones puts his hand around his daughter, in the following shot about 2 seconds later he puts his hand around her again. (01:30:15)
Continuity mistake: At the end it starts to rain and everyone is covered in ash, soot, dust etc. However, after only a few seconds of rain, all the ash, dust and soot have vanished off Roark, Kelly and Amy instantly. (01:32:05)
Continuity mistake: At the end when Emmit tells Roarke, "I could get used to this", he puts the cell phone up to his ear twice. (01:37:30)
Continuity mistake: After the bus is flipped on its side and Roarke and Barnes stop to rescue a man lying in ash, a tree falls blocking their escape with high flames, forcing a ladder truck to save the trio. When the ladder is unable to be lifted because of the weight and extreme heat, the fireman explains he will have to swing them out instead. The ladder swings in the direction of the flaming, downed tree, but the flames from the tree no longer seem to be a hindrance.
Continuity mistake: When the lava begins spilling from the tar pits, Tommy Lee's SUV is not parked next to the pits, but after the downed firetruck shot, the SUV is now there.
Continuity mistake: As the rescue crew is trying to open the disabled subway train, one man bashes the door just below the handle. A second later, he draws back to hit it again, and the door is undamaged from the first blow.
Continuity mistake: After losing her partner, Amy is above ground, taking off the equipment. As she does, her jacket goes from wide open and half off to almost closed in a second.
Chosen answer: They were in a rush, trying to get things and get out.
MasterOfAll