Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Science and Space
Main Health and Human Body Earth Environment Space Prehistoric World A-Z

Oozing Lava

Photo: Lava oozes from Kilauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Oozing lava acts as a seal over fractured ground in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Once the lava from Kilauea Crater cools, it becomes known as igneous rock, since it formed from molten material. Geologists would also call it extrusive rock because it solidified on the Earth's surface.

Photograph by Frans Lanting