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When magma reaches the surface of the earth, it is called lava. Since it its a liquid, it flows downhill in response to gravity as a lava flows. Different magma types behave differently as lava flows, depending on their temperature, viscosity, and gas content. Lava flows are produced on the surface, and these run like liquids down slope, along the lowest areas they can find. 2  If the magma emerges along a fracture, it results in a fissure eruption, often called a curtain of fire. 3  Lava flows produced by eruptions under water are called pillow lavas.
When it has stopped moving, lava solidifies to form igneous rock. The term lava flow is commonly shortened to lava. Although lava can be up to 100,000 times more viscous than water, lava can flow great distances before cooling and solidifying because of its thixotropic and shear thinning properties. Explosive eruptions produce a mixture of volcanic ash and other fragments called tephra, rather than lava flows.