Diagram of some of the processes going on in the magma chamber complex of a basaltic volcano. Note that there is actually a network of numerous storage chambers rather than a single large one. Magma from the chamber complex can either migrate upward to feed summit eruptions or it can migrate laterally to feed a flank eruption. The blow-up shows how gas bubbles and crystals separate out of the magma if it sits for very long within the chamber complex. By studying the gas and mineral content of an erupted lava flow, geologists can make some determinations about how long the magma sat in the magma chamber prior to erupting.

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