Lava field

Such features are generally composed of highly fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or hundreds of kilometers across the underlying terrain.

[1] This anomaly can expose important physics and mechanisms behind lava flow that was not previously known.

[2] The extent of large lava fields is most readily studied from the air or in satellite photos, where their commonly dark, near-black color contrasts sharply with the rest of the landscape.

Current computer models are mostly unable to predict the placement of lava fields due to the inability to anticipate random environmental influences.

[1] Computer modeling is consistently increasing in quality, but the many micro factors directing lava flow and shape, such as source geometry and lava extrusion rate, limit the accuracy that is currently available.