The difference between magma and lava Related stories. Following the volcanic eruption in La Palma, geologist Eduardo Suárez of Spain’s National Geographic Institute explained the difference.

Magma is typically found under volcanoes, while lava is only found once it crosses through onto the Earth’s surface. A lot of lava is also present at the bottom of the ocean in areas called mid ...

When magma becomes too much to handle, gases will not be able to exit the landform. This leads pressure to build up and will eventually cause an explosion of gas and lava , according to the USGS.

A plume of molten rock rising from the depths of the Earth in heartbeat-like pulses is slowly tearing Africa apart—and will ...

When the island of Santorini was rattled by thousands of small earthquakes earlier this year, many people were left mystified ...

The origin is much deeper in Earth's mantle, perhaps more than 620 miles (1,000 km) deep.Some scientists even postulate that the magma comes from a depth of 1,800 miles (2,900 km), where the ...

When magma erupts from a volcano it is called lava. This mixture of lava and gas flows out and down the sides of a volcano, some may cool and erupt as ash. Image caption, ...