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Magma in Earth's Mantle Forms Deeper Than Once Thought. Study simulating pressures in mantle beneath the ocean floor shows that rocks can melt at depths up to 250 kilometers. When magma reaches Earth's surface and erupts from a volcano, it becomes lava.
All of this is taking place under water. A 2.5 km thick pile of water in fact. When magma reaches the surface, it flows out as lava but it cools extremely quickly and forms piles of distinctive pillow shapes. Water also flows down into the crust where it is heated up.