What is the main difference between lava and magma?
Unlike some of the people that have already responded, magma and lava are NOT the same thing. They are both associated with molten rock (igneous), however when that molten rock is still underneath the crust (usually in a large plume, a batholith beneath a volcano, within the mantle, etc…) it is considered magma. When that magma gets released at the surface (generally during extrusive processes such as volcanic eruptions), then (and only then) is it considered a lava.
