Lava is magma that has reached the surface during volcanism, and the word also describes the rock produced when that material solidifies. Its behavior depends on temperature, composition, gas content and the proportion of crystals carried in the melt.
A cooling flow loses heat at its surface while its interior can remain mobile. Increasing crystal content and changing viscosity alter how the flow advances; escaping gas can produce bubbles or contribute to fragmentation. Thus a lava flow is a coupled thermal and mechanical system rather than a liquid with one constant viscosity from eruption to complete solidification.
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