The eruption and downslope movement of molten rock at the surface, cooling and solidifying into a lava flow whose texture and shape depend on the lava's composition, temperature and gas content, from fast-moving fluid basaltic flows to slow, thick, blocky flows of more viscous magma. Repeated flows are the principal way shield volcanoes such as those of Hawaii build their broad, gently sloping profiles.
Facts
Timescale
Timescale (category) Timescale (category) Process Type Timescaleyears to decades for a lava flow to fully solidify 1 Sources
1. Lava - Wikipedia
Cooling section
After three years, the solid surface crust, whose base was at a temperature of 1,065 °C (1,949 °F), was still only 14 m (46 ft) thick, even though the lake was about 100 m (330 ft) deep. Residual liquid was still present at depths of around 80 m (260 ft) nineteen years after the eruption.
Lava flow section
A lava flow is an outpouring of lava during an effusive eruption.
View the Source2. Volcano - Wikipedia
Introduction sectionQuote, Introduction section
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging
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