Lava in the ocean!

Is anybody living there?!

Basalt structure created by lava, which looks like a little underwater village

This is a morphological structure that occurred as a result of volcanic activities at the bottom of the ocean. When magma reaches the ocean floor, it suddenly cools down because of the temperature difference between the hot lava and cold ocean water. At first the outer surface of lava cools down quickly and forms a glassy skin. The inside of the lava cools down more slowly while having less finer, coarser structure inside.

As a physics note: In order to understand the lava structures, it is important to understand the notion of viscosity. In a more common sense, viscosity is the thickness of a fluid; the inner resistance to flow. For instance, water, olive oil and honey are all fluids, but they have different flow speeds related to their different viscosities. When a glass of water spills on the table, you can observe that the water is moving and spreading fast. When a glass of honey spills on the table, the speed of honey would be less than the water, since honey is more viscous than water.

Honey is more viscous than water.

Fluids with higher viscosity move slower.

Lava is also a fluid. Depending on the temperature and chemical bonds of the lava fluid, the viscosity of lava may change. When lava meets the cold ocean water it cools down. Different viscosities of lava creates different shapes and different basalt structures in water. Three most common basalt structures in Endeavour are:

Sheet Flows: Low viscosity lava with a high speed can spread out and form sheet-like flat lava structures.

Lobate: Middle viscosity lava forms lobate flows.

Pillow: High viscosity lava cools down quickly and forms pillow-like structures.

Pillow basalt structure created by lava, which looks like a human made statue!

Nature seems to be a very talented architecture:)

≈≈≈ Cheers from the place where lava meets water!

Goksenin Sen

Marine Educator



Photo Credits: CSSF-ROPOS/NEPTUNE Canada