Volcanic material is composed of three main components: tephra, LAVA, and MAGMA. Tephra is a general term for fragments of solidified volcanic material that are ejected into the atmosphere during an eruption. LAVA is molten rock that has been expelled from a volcano and cooled on the surface. MAGMA is molten rock that is still beneath the surface of the Earth. All three of these components are essential to understanding the formation and behavior of volcanoes.