Rocks commonly found on the surface of Earth are in solid state.

However, rocks also exist in

liquid state at certain locations deep inside Earth. The molten rocks that are found beneath
Earth's surface are called magma. They are less dense than the surrounding solid rock, and
therefore capable of rising the surface. When magma emerges at the surface, it is called lava.
Magma is usually composed of the abundant elements including silicon, aluminum, iron,
calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, hydrogen and oxygen. The compositional variation of
magma is expressed in terms of oxides such as SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, FeO and H2,O. The
most common component is silica (SiO2) at 45% to 75% by weight. Dissolved gases, primarily
water vapor and carbon dioxide, are also present, comprising 0.2 to 3% by weight.
Another property of magma is that it has very high temperature. The melting temperature
of rocks could range from 800°C to 1400°C. Magma also has the ability to flow since it is a
liquid. The degree of resistance to flow is called viscosity. The more viscous a substance is, the
less fluid it becomes. The viscosity of magma generally depends on its silica content. Magmas
with high silica are more viscous than low-silica magmas. Gas content and temperature also
affect the viscosity of magma. Generally, gas content is higher when the temperature is higher
and this makes the magma less viscous. For instance, lava that just came out of a volcano has
very high temperature and flows readily, but as the temperature decreases, it becomes more
viscous and eventually stops flowing.