Video: "It was an underwater Fourth of July"

“Since the water pressure at that depth suppresses the violence of the volcano’s explosions, we could get the underwater robot within feet of the active eruption.”

The lava froze almost instantly as it hit the cold sea water, causing black rock to sink to the sea floor. The robot hovered near the blasts, collecting lava samples and recording the explosive noises as they rocked the seabed.