lava
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lava
Molten rock that reaches the Earth's surface during a volcanic eruption. After cooling, it becomes solid rock.
Die heiße Lava floss langsam den Hang des Vulkans hinab.
The hot lava flowed slowly down the slope of the volcano.
'Lava' is the name of a substance, similar to 'Wasser' (water) or 'Sand' (sand). Therefore, the word is almost always used in the singular without an article, or with the definite article 'die' when a specific mass is meant.
Überall auf der Insel sieht man erstarrte Lava.
You can see solidified lava everywhere on the island.
Lava is often combined with verbs of movement. Typical phrases are 'Lava fließt' (lava flows), 'Lava strömt aus dem Vulkan' (lava streams out of the volcano), or 'Lava ergießt sich' (lava pours) over the land.
Man konnte beobachten, wie die Lava langsam ins Meer floss.
You could observe how the lava slowly flowed into the sea.
Common adjectives that describe lava refer to its temperature or state: 'heiße Lava' (hot lava), 'flüssige Lava' (liquid lava), or after cooling, 'erkaltete' (cooled) or 'erstarrte Lava' (solidified lava).
Die Landschaft besteht aus schwarzer, erstarrter Lava.
The landscape consists of black, solidified lava.
melting / melt
'die Lava' and 'die Schmelze' can both mean a hot, liquid mass. However, 'Lava' is specifically molten rock that reaches the Earth's surface at a volcano. 'Schmelze' is more general and is used especially for liquefied metal, glass, or ore. Learners may confuse the words because lava is also a kind of molten mass. When talking about a volcano, 'Lava' is more precise; in industry and materials contexts, 'Schmelze' is usually a better fit.
Die Lava floss langsam den Hang des Vulkans hinunter.
The lava flowed slowly down the slope of the volcano.
In der Fabrik wird die heiße Schmelze vorsichtig in eine Form gegossen.
In the factory, the hot melt is carefully poured into a mold.