Lava tube
Okay kiddo, so imagine you're playing in the sand at the beach, and you have a little plastic shovel. When you dig a hole in the sand, sometimes the edges cave in and create a tunnel or cave-like shape, right?
Well, a lava tube is like a really big version of that! Except, instead of sand, it's made out of rock from a volcano. When a volcano erupts, hot lava (that's like really hot melted rock) flows out of it and starts to cool down. But, sometimes the lava flows so fast that the outside starts to harden and cool down, while the inside is still really hot and liquid.
As the lava keeps flowing, it may leave behind a shell of hardened rock, and the hot liquid lava inside eventually drains out, leaving a hollow tube behind. This tube is called a lava tube!
Sometimes, these lava tubes can be really big and long, almost like giant underground tunnels! And, people can even explore them (safely, of course) to learn more about how volcanoes work and the cool things that happen inside them.
Well, a lava tube is like a really big version of that! Except, instead of sand, it's made out of rock from a volcano. When a volcano erupts, hot lava (that's like really hot melted rock) flows out of it and starts to cool down. But, sometimes the lava flows so fast that the outside starts to harden and cool down, while the inside is still really hot and liquid.
As the lava keeps flowing, it may leave behind a shell of hardened rock, and the hot liquid lava inside eventually drains out, leaving a hollow tube behind. This tube is called a lava tube!
Sometimes, these lava tubes can be really big and long, almost like giant underground tunnels! And, people can even explore them (safely, of course) to learn more about how volcanoes work and the cool things that happen inside them.
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