How does molten lava inside the earth burn ?

Question

We say fire needs oxygen. How does the burning lava inside the earth get oxygen ? How is it able to burn continuously

Answer 1

The center of the earth is very hot because gravity is pulling everything inward and it is the pressure that creates the heat. When the lava comes to the surface it does get air and you can see the smoke and the heat waves moving upward from it. It doesn't actually burn underground, but we perceive anything hot or glowing red as "burning" .

Answer 2

It doesn't burn. You have a false understanding of combustion. Material under the crust is under extreme heat and pressure. The pressure can suddenly be released, generating a melt. This happens frequently on the surface of the planet, mostly at the mid-oceanic ridges. Once molten rock is extruded onto the surface it becomes lava. When molten rock is under the surface of the earth it is called magma. Materials "burning" is due to the rapid oxidation of atoms. Most rocks are already in combination with oxygen, such as silicates.

Answer 3

Lava is not made through burning rocks with fire so, it does'nt need oxygen to burn. The reason it burns is because of the depth and pressure of being deep inside the earth.

Answer 4

At the center of the earth is the inner core which is solid and composed of mainly a nickel-iron alloy. It is solid despite temperatures being 5000-6000 C because of the enormous pressure on it. Outside of the inner core is the outer core. This is composed mainly of the nickel-iron alloy in a liquid form. It is liquid unlike the inner core because it under less pressure. Outside the outer core is the mantle which varies between a high-viscosity and low-viscosity liquid because of the heat and pressure. It is cooler than the core and is also comprised of silicates which have a higher melting point. Outside of the mantle is the crust which is solid. The heat from the center of the earth is not because anything is burning, but is heat left from the formation of the earth. So, oxygen is not needed because nothing is burning.

Answer 5

It isn't "burning," it's just melted and hot. The huge mass of metal under the solidified, cooled crust, is under such intense pressure due to the force of gravity, that it stays molten. Only if it reaches the surface does it encounter oxygen and begin to burn, and then to cool. The entire earth was once molten, as the star stuff coalesced into a globe, and only millions of years later did a thin crust cool enough to support life.

Answer 6

The core is under such pressure that this is not really a combustion process. It is a state of the matter.

Answer 7

it doesn't burn..its molten...the core of the earth is wayyyyy hot