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HOW STUFF WORKS | Lava Tubes on Earth Could Prepare Us for Life on the Moon and Mars
As the outermost portion of the hot lava flow comes into contact with the cold air, it cools rapidly, forming a hardened crust, explains Dr. Richard Léveillé. Léveillé is an adjunct professor at McGill University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and a member of the McGill Space Institute. But liquid lava continues to flow like water in a channel underneath this newly hardened surface. At some point, that liquid lava runs out and cools underneath the surface, forming a curvy, tube-shaped structure. Boom — a lava tube is born.