Many people use the words magma and lava interchangeably, but there is a very slight difference between the two words.
What do you think of when you hear the words magma and lava?
Likely you'd think of a volcano
Before listing the differences between the two terms, let's list what they have in common:
Both are forms of molten (liquid/semi-liquid) rock
Lava was once magma
Now let's define each term so you can see how they are different
Magma is a molten rock found beneath the Earth's curst in the top of the Earth's mantel layer
Lava is magma that is now flowing on top of the Earth's surface either by flowing out of cracks in the crust or ejected by volcanoes
*Note: Once the lava cools and solidifies it is no longer considered lava and it now called ingneous rock
Simplified
Magma: found beneath the Earth's crust
Lava: found above the Earth's crust
Keywords:
magma
lava
volcano
molten rock
mantel layer
