Lava - Unusual Lavas

Unusual Lavas

Some lavas of unusual composition have erupted onto the surface of the Earth. These include:

• Carbonatite and natrocarbonatite lavas are known from Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania, which is the sole example of an active carbonatite volcano.
• Copper sulfide bearing lavas have been recognised from Chile and Bolivia.
• Iron oxide lavas are thought to be the source of the iron ore at Kiruna, Sweden, erupted in the Proterozoic, and in Chile associated with highly alkaline igneous rocks
• Olivine nephelinite lavas are thought to have come from much deeper in the mantle of the Earth than other lavas.

The term "lava" can also be used to refer to molten "ice mixtures" in eruptions on the icy satellites of the Solar System's gas giants. See cryovolcanism.