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Home > Processes
> Cooling and Solidification
Magma cools slowly within the Earth, forming large crystals in the intrusive igneous rocks into which it solidifies. When magma reaches the surface of the Earth, it is called lava. Lava cools much more quickly because the temperature at the surface of the Earth is very cold compared to the temperature within the Earth. Because of this, the lava doesn't have time to grow large crystals, so the rocks that are formed (extrusive igneous rocks) have a very small crystal structure.
Click here to see for yourself how crystals grow.
Other Processes:
The Rock Cycle Web Site
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This page was last updated on December 4, 2000
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