What is the difference between lava and magma?

Question

what is the point of giving the same name to one substance?

Answer 1

MAGMA is molten rock within the ground. LAVA is molten rock that has erupted and is on the surface.

Answer 2

Lava is oxygenated magma, i.e. magma that has been exposed to the atmosphere. So you would have lava above the ground and magma underground. Even though they are technically the same thing, they have different chemical compositions and therefore different names.

Answer 3

They are essentially the same thing:  molten rock.  Magma, however, is molten rock beneath the crust or in a magma chamber.  It has not yet erupted.

Lava is molten rock after it erupts.

Answer 4

lava: above surface

magma: below surface

scientists are always specific so you have to specify with names which is above and which is below...just a geuss