Lava 

is molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such
as Earth) or a moon. Magma is generated by the internal heat of the planet or moon and it is erupted
as lava at volcanoes or through fractures in the crust, usually at temperatures from 800 to 1,200 °C
(1,470 to 2,190 °F). The volcanic rock resulting from subsequent cooling is also often described
as lava.
A lava flow is an outpouring of lava created during an effusive eruption. Explosive
eruptions produce a mixture of volcanic ash and other fragments called tephra, rather than lava
flows. Although lava can be up to 100,000 times more viscous than water, lava can flow great
distances before cooling and solidifying because lava exposed to air quickly develops a solid crust.
This insulates the remaining liquid lava, helping keep it hot and inviscid.[1]
The word lava comes from Italian, and is probably derived from the Latin word labes which means a
fall or slide.[2][3] The first use in connection with extruded magma (molten rock below the Earth's
surface) was apparently in a short account written by Francesco Serao on the eruption
of Vesuvius in 1737.[4] Serao described "a flow of fiery lava" as an analogy to the flow of water and
mud down the flanks of the volcano following heavy rain.