Lava

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lava

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Molten rock expelled from a terrestrial planet or moon onto its surface
2. What is the origin layer?Derived from magma originating in the Earth's mantle or crust
3. What is lava and how does it come from inside the Earth?Lava is melted rock that comes out of volcanoes. It forms when magma rises from the mantle and crust because it is less dense than the surrounding rock. The magma can travel through cracks called dikes and sills before reaching the surface.
4. Why does lava flow like a river and not just stay in the volcano?Lava moves because it is less dense than the solid rock around it and its viscosity lets it flow. A solid crust forms on the outside, insulating the hot interior so the lava can keep moving for a long time.

Rheology: The study of the flow of matter, primarily in a liquid or gas state.
Viscosity: A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow; its 'thickness'.
Effusive Eruption: A volcanic eruption characterized by the steady outpouring of lava.