What is Extrusive (volcanic)?

Extrusive rock is what happens when molten rock spills out and cools quickly on the surface.

Imagine you're playing with a big pot of melted chocolate. If you pour it onto a hot pan, it hardens fast, like a gooey chocolate river turning into a smooth, flat bar. That’s extrusive rock in action!

When lava from a volcano comes out and meets the air or water, it cools quickly. This makes tiny crystals inside the rock. The result is something called igneous rock, but since it cooled on the outside, we call it extrusive.

Think about sidewalks in the summer, hot enough to melt your shoes! Now imagine that sidewalk is made of lava. When the lava cools fast like that, it becomes a smooth, hard surface, just like the rocks you find near volcanoes.

Extrusive rock is everywhere if you know where to look, and now you do!