Lava and Magma, Meteor and Meteorite--What's the Difference? Some features of Earth (and beyond) have been bugging me for quite some time.  When molten rock is beneath the surface, it's called "magma".  Above the surface, it is called "lava".  When a bolide is in orbit of any planet, it's called a "meteoroid".  When it makes contact with the atmosphere, it becomes a "meteor".  When it hits the surface, it becomes a "meteorite".  But changing one's name based on a change in location is, at best, superficial and has no relation to chemistry and composition.

Are there any REAL differences between magma and lava?  Are there any REAL differences between a meteoroid, a meteor and a meteorite?  If not, then why do we call them by different names?
There is a real difference between lava and magma. Magma contains lots of water and various gases. When it reaches earth's surface, it looses most of its volatiles and becomes lava.

So, magma is volatile rich lava.