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magma
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Diagram of the rock cycle showing sediments forming sedimentary rocks, which can become metamorphic rocks through heat and pressure, melt into magma, or uplift and form igneous rocks through cooling and solidification, with arrows illustrating the transitions and processes.
Magma streaming down a volcano.
Magma reaches Earth's surface as lava and flows over Hawaiian vegetation and into the ocean
Why some volcanic eruptions are more explosive than others
Diagram showing seafloor spreading at a midocean ridge, with arrows indicating tectonic plates moving apart. Magma rises to form new seafloor, and bands of normal and reversed magnetic polarity are labeled on either side of the ridge. Cross-sectional diagram showing three tectonic plates at ocean ridges, transform faults, and a subduction zone. The image illustrates rising magma forming rift and subduction volcanoes, convection currents in the mantle, and features such as ocean trenches, extinct and hot-spot volcanoes, and the movement of plates above a molten core and low-velocity mantle layer.
How and where does magma form on Earth?
Quizzes
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
The Solid Earth Quiz

magma: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: Saskatchewan Open Education Resources - Physical Geology, First University of Saskatchewan Edition - Magma and How It Forms. Sep 05, 2026
Add new Web site: Scientific Reports - Depth of origin of magma in eruptions. Dec 03, 2024
Add new Web site: Open Education Alberta - Planet Earth - The Rock Cycle I: Magma and Igneous Rock. Oct 09, 2024
Add new Web site: CORE - Magma genesis, plate tectonics, and chemical differentiation of the Earth. Aug 27, 2024
Add new Web site: Tulane University - Magmas and Igneous Rocks (PDF). Jun 26, 2024
Add new Web site: Saskatchewan Open Education Resources - Physical Geology, First University of Saskatchewan Edition - Magma and How It Forms. Oct 06, 2023
Media added. Aug 28, 2023
Add new Web site: BCcampus Open Publishing - Physical Geology οΏ½ H5P Edition - Crystallization of Magma. Apr 18, 2023
Add new Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Magma Generation. Feb 11, 2023
Article revised and updated. Apr 05, 2022
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Magma's role in the rock cycle. May 08, 2017
Cross-references added. Jan 11, 2016
Video added that explains how the chemical composition of a magma contributes to its explosiveness during a volcanic eruption. Jan 11, 2016
Add new Web site: San Diego State University - Department of Geological Sciences - How Volcanoes Work. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: Tulane University - Magma and Igneous Rocks. Jan 25, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Magma. Jan 25, 2013
Video of flowing magma added. Jun 16, 2011
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - Will We Ever Run Out Of Magma? Dec 24, 2008
Added new Web site: Physical Geology Course at Tulane University - Magmas, Igneous Rocks, Volcanoes, and Plutons. Apr 07, 2008
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Magma. Dec 21, 2006
Added new Web site: Natural Sciences Program - Volcanic Activity. Dec 21, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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