(Top to bottom) Sheet, lobate, and pillow lava morphology, the three main morphological flows that are produced by submarine eruptions. Along mid-ocean ridges, the different flow morphologies primarily reflect the rate at which the lava erupted. The presence of sheet flow morphology suggests a high rate of eruption, pillow flow morphology suggests a low rate of eruption, and lobate flow morphology indicates an intermediate eruption rate. Image courtesy of NOAA PMEL.
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