submarine volcano

Scheme of a submarine eruption. Water vapor cloud Water Stratum Lava flow Magma conduit Magma chamber Dike Pillow lava

Pillow lava formed by a submarine volcano NOAA exploration video showing remnants of underwater tar volcanoes. Circular plumes from a submarine eruption near Tonga Submarine volcanoes are underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. Many submarine volcanoes are located near areas of tectonic plate formation, known as mid-ocean ridges. The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges alone are estimated to account for 75% of the magma output on Earth. Although most submarine volcanoes are located in the depths of seas and oceans, some also exist in shallow water, and these can discharge material into the atmosphere during an eruption. The total number of submarine volcanoes is estimated to be over one million (most are now extinct) of which some 75,000 rise more than 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) above the seabed. Only 119 submarine volcanoes in Earth's oceans and seas are known to have erupted during the last 11,700 years.