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[Lord Windy]

I was wondering if this big lump of Obsidian indicated lava? I know there is supposed to be a pipe here, but I wasn't expecting a big fat hole of it .

I wasn't going to touch it, the last time I went on a volcano map a little Imp popped out and set fire to my wonderful forest and killed 4 of my 7 guys . (In case you haven't realized, I'm sorta new to this)

Also, I read on the Wiki that these wells of magma eventually run out (assuming there is a well of magma), if it possible to channel my magma pipe into this to constantly fill it up?, or would that just make the problem worse. In fact, just dump all the lava tips you can here... I have a copy of the folder if anyone needs it. I saved it before I did anything because this place is the perfect place I have been searching for. Magma, Sand, a load of trees, Chasm like thing (because I'm weird). I'm just lacking a permanent water source, but I may get lucky and have an underground river.

EDIT: There seem to be a few mole rats near my base, is that anything to be worried about. Wiki says they are somewhat aggressive?

[The Philosopher]

http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Exploratory_mining#Obsidian_caps

Information is on the wiki. Basically the magma pipe freezes over in cold climates. Digging or channeling above it will reveal the magma.

The molerats are probably inside your chasm. I don't think they can come out and attack your dwarves as they cannot fly.

[Zorgn]

Don't worry about the rats, but god help you if you have bats or swallows.

[Areyar]

or giant spiders!

or Carp!

or skeleton elephant!

[Zorgn]

>.>

<.<

*hides under the bed*

[jester]

If its a magma pipe it will never run out.  these are like a tube full of magma that goes all the way to the bottom of the map, these keep refilling.  Magma Ponds are only 2/3 z levels deep and apparently you can drain them if you are serious about it although Ive drained fairly large amounts into resivors to run furnaces and had them stay full.
  Also magma never flows up (unlike water) so if the pool/pipe bulges on a lower level you can dig to one square away from the pipe/pond and then channel that square away from above once your tunnel is clear.  a nice long feeder pipe to your forges will/should stop the fire imps from wandering into your fortress. 
  Mole rats arent too bad (you can eat 'em) use the unit screen (press u then scroll down)  to see what else you have, most of the stuff should be stuck underground on the edge of the chasm.  batmen and giant bats can fly, batmen are pretty weak (peasant with decent axe can take them down) giant bats are badass and will probably cost you more than a few dwarves.  ALSO be very careful if you find giant cave spider webs laying near the chasm, this means there is a giant cave spider hiding there.  These are about as nasty as non megabeasts get.  check the forums for many stories of fortresses that have been crippled trying to farm these nasty buggers for their classy silk. 
  Reveal.exe is good to see what you have too.

[MuonDecay]

or skeleton elephant!

Skelephants! 

[Bryan Derksen]

If you've got steel, iron, or pig iron bars, you can install them as "vertical bars" in a lava tunnel to prevent imps and magma men and whatnot from getting through. If you have ample bauxite, you can use a masonry shop to build a bauxite grate with the same effect (except you have to install it as a "wall grate"). Any other material will melt when the lava flows through it.

If you've got bauxite, you can also make bauxite doors or floodgates and bauxite mechanisms to more easily control your magma flows. You can use steel or iron doors and floodgates as well, but bauxite's much cheaper. Getting your masonry and mechanic shops to use bauxite instead of the other sorts of rock can be a bit of a pain, though. I usually create a room with a bauxite stockpile, masonry shop, and mechanic shop with a lockable door, and then lock my mason/mechanic inside until he's completed the special orders. Then I forbid the workshops and forget about them until I need more bauxite stuff.

If you have no bauxite, or if something's gone awry and you flooded a place with uncontrolled magma, you can also get your dwarves to dump water on it by digging a channel over it and designating it a "pond". Note that the water has to fall at least 1 z level, otherwise it evaporates without also freezing the magma in the process.

Magma's very handy if you want to do metalworking of any sort, or if you've got sand on your map and would like to try your hand at glassmaking.

[Flaede]

on avoiding imps when making Magma FOrges, Magma Smelters, or other such fun stuf:

a) ONLY expose one square of magma by channeling down.
b) With proper forethought, make sure that you will place the WALL section of the intended workshop overtop of the hole.
c) Imps cannot get in.
d)make sure you build it quickly, or Urist will cancel building smelter because Urist is now !!Urist!!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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for reference:
forge:

OOO
XOX
OOO

everything else:

OXO
OOO
OOO

where X is a wall, and O is open floor.

If that is the only magma ever exposed to air, the imps will never get out.
If that is the only magma inside your fortress... well, at least the imps will be OUTside.

[Untelligent]

If you've got steel, iron, or pig iron bars, you can install them as "vertical bars" in a lava tunnel to prevent imps and magma men and whatnot from getting through. If you have ample bauxite, you can use a masonry shop to build a bauxite grate with the same effect (except you have to install it as a "wall grate"). Any other material will melt when the lava flows through it.

Fortifications can also do this, except constructions never melt, so you can make them out of any material, including wood or rock.

[Ultra-Towerdude]

Can't you make the vertical bars also out of adamantine? Or will it melt?

[NooklearToaster]

Can't you make the vertical bars also out of adamantine? Or will it melt?

Well...yes...but why on earth would you want to?

[Theoclymenus]

Can't you make the vertical bars also out of adamantine? Or will it melt?

Well...yes...but why on earth would you want to?

Showing off? I plan on using the adamantine in my fortress for making statues, furniture and possibly my trade depot. Imagine coming to trade in that!

[NooklearToaster]

Well if you INSIST on using it for statues, then use the ore instead of the bars. 1 stone vs 3 bars for a statue, save value, and legendary masons are a dime a dozen.

[Shoruke]

If you're going to make stuff out of adamantine, don't let anyone who is below legendary touch the it. It's that valuable. It can't be imported, and once you run the vein out, that's all the adamantine you get. Rock and metal furniture can be replaced (even if you ran your map flat out of rock, you can still import more, and metal is also recyclable). But adamantine? Trust me, it's worth it to have ☼adamantine chairs☼ instead of -adamantine chairs-.