Lava field Lava field A lava field, also called a lava plain or lava bed, is a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or even hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain. The extent of large lava fields is most readily grasped from the air or in satellite photos, where their typically dark, nearly black color contrasts sharply with the rest of the landscape. According to the US Geological Survey, monogenetic volcanic fields are collections of cinder cones, and/or Maar vents and associated lava flows and
Lava delta of water), contact with the water causes both rapid cooling of the lava and steam explosions that fragment it. The glassy fragments that are formed, known as hyaloclastites, fall down to the seabed forming foresets. As the seabed topography becomes infilled, the subaerial flow is able to build out. The process continues as long as the lava supply is maintained. Most lava deltas are formed by relatively low viscosity Pahoehoe type flows and the lava reaches the sea via a system of small lava tubes, their entry into the water being marked by a series of steam plumes. Newly formed