Lava (source code)

= Lava

<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.