How hot is lava?

The temperature of lava ranges from 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 degrees Fahrenheit) to 1,250 degrees Celsius (2,282 degrees Fahrenheit). The higher temperatures are reached in Hawaiian volcanoes.

It is very hot beneath the earth's surface. It is so hot that small pieces of rock begin to melt. As they do, this molten rock, called magma, begins to rise towards the earth's surface. This magma rises to the top of the volcano and moves slowly out of the volcano as lava. When lava comes to the surface, scientists measure its temperature by inserting a metal probe, called a thermocouple, into it.