Features and Deposits Features and Deposits Conditions during submarine eruptions are very different from eruptions on land.
Water quickly quenches lava, turning the outer surface of flows to glass.
The weight of the overlying water can make the pressure 250 times greater than atmospheric pressure. This pressure is so great that bubbles have great difficulty in forming and growing in magma and lava. Volcanologists are currently debating if explosive submarine eruption are even possible in deep ocean basins. The following photos show the most common volcanic features and deposits associated with submarine volcanoes. The spires are probably formed when superheated water trapped beneath active flow forces channel to surface, creating pipe of rapidly quenched glass.