Magma

Magma is an extremely hot liquid element that provides a large amount of heat to anything it touches. It is most notable as a late-game heat source, especially when paired with a Steam Turbine and a water supply, where it can serve as a reliable power setup. It is also used in geothermal refining setups to transform nearby Crude Oil directly into Petroleum or Sour Gas.

When Magma cools below its freezing point, it turns into Igneous Rock. This makes it both a heat reservoir and a source of solid material once its temperature is brought down enough. Because its specific heat capacity is five times higher than that of several common rock materials, melting things into Magma can store a great deal of thermal energy, which is one reason it is so effective in sustained Steam Turbine power systems.

Magma is hot enough to melt most materials it touches, so any structure or pipework that may contact it should be made from materials that can survive extreme temperatures. Common choices include:

• Insulated Tile made from Obsidian, Ceramic, or Insulation
• Mechanized Airlock, Metal Tile, and Conductive Wire made from Steel, Tungsten, or Thermium
• Tempshift Plate and Window Tile made from Diamond

Because of this extreme heat, Magma is often used deliberately to damage or transform nearby materials rather than merely containing it. Melting Crushed Rock, Obsidian, Sedimentary Rock, Mafic Rock, and Regolith into Magma multiplies the heat stored in the material, which can be exploited for long-running power generation. However, Magma produced from melted Raw Minerals appears at the melting point of those minerals, meaning it can immediately cool into Igneous Rock if the mineral is one of the softer types.

Magma is also very viscous. Even when it spreads out into a full puddle, it is usually too deep to mop effectively, so cleanup is not a practical way to manage it. It can be pumped with a Liquid Pump by abusing the pump’s range, which allows it to be moved in specialized setups despite its thickness.

In practice, Magma is best treated as both a hazard and a resource: it can destroy unprepared infrastructure very quickly, but with the right materials and plumbing it becomes one of the strongest tools for geothermal power, industrial heat management, and deep-temperature processing.