Lava

I am like a super-hot, gooey river that lives deep, deep under the ground where it is warm and cozy. My home is the center of the Earth. Sometimes, a big mountain, called a volcano, gives a big sneeze, and I come out to play. I glow bright orange and red, like a sunset that you can touch. I move very, very slowly across the land, like a sleepy snail. Everything I pass gets steamy and warm because I am so hot. I am a glowing, flowing river of warmth. Can you guess what my name is. I am Lava.

People who live near the tall, pointy mountains have watched me for a long, long time. They have seen me peek out and flow down the sides. For thousands of years, people have told stories about my glowing light. A very long time ago, on August 24th, in the year 79, I burst out of a big volcano called Mount Vesuvius. I was so big and powerful that I flowed all the way down and covered a whole town called Pompeii. It showed everyone how mighty I can be. People learned that I am a very strong part of nature and should be watched with care.

But I am not just powerful. I am also a builder. When I cool down, I stop being a gooey river. I get very still and hard and turn into a dark, sparkly rock. I am not hot anymore. I use my new rock body to build new land. I can make islands in the big blue ocean grow bigger and bigger, like the beautiful islands of Hawaii. I make brand new places for pretty flowers to grow and for people to build their homes. I am a land-builder, helping our world get bigger.