Types of Lava

Lava is molten rock generated by geothermal energy

and expelled through fractures in planetary crust or in an eruption, usually at temperatures from 700 to 1,200 °C (1,292 to 2,192 °F). The type of lava coming out of a volcano depends on its mineral content. Some lava is very thin, and can flow out of a volcano in great rivers that go for dozens of kilometers. Other lava is very thick, and only flows for a short distance before cooling and hardening. And some lava is so thick that it barely “flows” at all, and can plug up the plumbing of a volcano.

A lava flow is a moving outpouring of lava created during a non-explosive effusive eruption. When it has stopped moving, lava solidifies to form igneous rock. 1. A'a Lava

Pronounced “ah-ah”, this is a basaltic lava that doesn’t flow very quickly. It looks like a slowly moving mass of hot jello, with cooler, rough surface. Once it hardens, the sharp spiny surface of a’a lava is extremely difficult to walk across. These types of lava erupt at temperatures above 1000 to 1100 degrees C.

2. Pahoehoe Lava

Pronounced “pa-ho-ho”, this type of lava is much thinner and less viscous than a’a. It can flow down the slopes of a volcano in vast rivers. The surface of the lava congeals into a thin crust that looks very smooth. Pahoehoe lava can also form lava tubes, where the rock hardens around a fast-moving liquid core. When that core flows out of the tube, a long tunnel remains. Pahoehoe erupts at temperatures of 1100 to 1200 C.

3. Pillow Lava

Pillow lava is typically found erupting from underwater volcano vents. As soon as the lava contacts the water, it’s cooled down and forms a hardened shell. As more lava issues from the vent, the shell of lava cracks and more “pillows” come out of these cracks.

We have written many articles about volcanoes for Universe Today. Here’s an article about the temperature of lava.

References: https://www.universetoday.com/27904/types-of-lava/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/12/the-pillow-lavas-of-oman-ophiolite.html http://geotripperimages.com/Volcanism/lava_flows.html https://www.pinterest.com/pin/505599495643566871/ https://www.universetoday.com/29655/aa-lava/