
Lava - Wikipedia
The solid volcanic rock resulting from subsequent cooling of the molten material is often also called lava. A lava flow is an outpouring of lava during an effusive eruption. (An explosive …
Lava | Types, Composition, Temperature, & Facts | Britannica
Jan 5, 2026 · Lava, magma (molten rock) emerging as a liquid onto Earth’s surface. The term ‘lava’ is also used for the solidified rock formed by the cooling of a molten lava flow.
What Is Lava Made Of? - Ask An Earth and Space Scientist
What Is Lava Made Of? Looking down at a cooled lava flow, you see a black, glassy, vesicular (“spongy”) rock. The black color comes from the magnesium and iron-rich minerals, which are …
Lava Flows - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Jul 20, 2023 · When a volcano erupts, the molten rock that comes out of the Earth is called lava. Lava is so hot, it remains molten and flows until it cools and hardens into rock.
What is lava made of? | Volcano World | Oregon State University
Lava is made up of crystals, volcanic glass, and bubbles (volcanic gases). As magma gets closer to the surface and cools, it begins to crystallize minerals like olivine and form bubbles of …
Lava flows destroy everything in their path - USGS.gov
Everything in the path of an advancing lava flow will be knocked over, surrounded, buried, or ignited by the extremely hot temperature of lava. When lava erupts beneath a glacier or flows …
What is a lava? – The Institute for Environmental Research and …
Jun 16, 2025 · Lava is primarily composed of silicate minerals, but its exact composition varies depending on the source magma. The most common type of lava is basaltic lava, …
Magma - National Geographic Society
May 1, 2024 · Magma is extremely hot liquid and semi-liquid rock located under Earth’s surface. When magma flows onto Earth’s surface, it is called lava.
LAVA Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of LAVA is molten rock that issues from a volcano or from a fissure in the surface of a planet (such as earth) or moon; also : such rock that has cooled and hardened.
Lava - New World Encyclopedia
The hardened formation is called " lava flow," whereas the material that still contains molten rock is called an " active lava flow." The rock formed from solidified lava (or magma) is called …