What exactly is lava (and magma)?
Alexander J. L. Strange
Hi Alex,
Oops, it looks like your question got put in the "to-do" file a while ago
and forgotten. I'm sorry about that.
Anyway, magma and lava are just two different terms for molten rock. We
call molten rock "magma" when it is still beneath the earth's surface, and
"lava" after it has erupted. It is molten rock either way.
As to what it is, exactly, molten rock is a fluid that contains melted
minerals (which have usually disassociated into silica (SiO2) molecules
plus other molecules), gas bubbles floating around, and some solid
minerals floating around. Because it contains these other things (gas
plus crystals) we can't technically call it a "liquid", so it is
considered to be a fluid.
I hope I have given you at least a start on your question, and I apologize
again for taking so long to answer.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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