Molten rock material beneath the Earth's surface that forms when solid rock melts due to extreme heat and pressure. When magma reaches the surface through volcanic eruptions, it becomes lava.
From Greek 'magma' meaning a thick paste or salve, derived from the verb 'massein' meaning to knead or mix. The geological term was adopted in the 1860s when scientists needed a word to describe the molten rock they observed in volcanic studies.
Magma is like Earth's blood - it carries heat and minerals throughout our planet's interior! The magma chamber beneath Yellowstone National Park is so massive that if it erupted, it could cover the entire United States in a layer of ash several inches thick. Most of the oxygen we breathe today was released by ancient volcanic eruptions bringing magma to the surface.
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