the.com/magma
rock that forgot how to behave, plotting its escape one molten degree at a time
means Molten or semi-molten rock beneath the Earth's surface, which becomes lava once it erupts.
from From Greek 'magma,' meaning a thick paste, ointment, or kneaded mass — itself from 'massein,' to knead. The word once described any soft pasty substance (it shows up in old pharmacy and chemistry), and only in the 19th century did geologists borrow it for the planet's own kneaded, doughy rock simmering underground.
- temperature
- reaches 1,300°C, hotter than a blowtorch flame
- naming
- becomes lava only after breaking the surface
- location
- oceans of it lurk miles beneath your feet
- crystals
- slow cooling grows gemstones inside it
- density trick
- rises because it weighs less than surrounding rock
kilauea volcano hawaii — continuously active since 1983, erupts basaltic magma that flows downslope
mount etna sicily — europe's most active volcano, regularly erupts lava from magma chambers beneath the summit
yellowstone caldera wyoming — supervolcano with massive magma reservoir 8-10 km beneath the surface, heats geysers like old faithful