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Lava is the mantle is called magma. Lava, referring to magma that is flowed out onto Earth's surface, only hardens when the temperature around it drops. This is because lava is very hot, and when the temperature drops, it cools and solidifies due to its thixotropic and shear thinning properties, just like clay.

Magma is actually kept in its liquid state because of the temperature of the mantle, which ranges from 500°C to 4,000°C. The magma itself in the mantle is approximately 700°C to 1300°C, which means that the temperature is not low enough for magma to harden. Magma is part of the convection process occurring inside the mantle. Since the mantle closer to the core is of higher temperature than when closer to the crust, there is a convection process where magma heats up from the hotter core side and rises to the cooler crust side and vice-versa. Thus, just like when you keep mixing clay, the moving magma in the mantle will not harden.

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15y ago

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