Jack Plamondon, age 15, of Dupuy, P.Q., for his question:

Are there volcanoes under the sea?

Yes, indeed there are volcanoes under the sea. Sometimes the ocean floor heaves and erupts three miles below the surface. A volcano is born. It throws up lava and a cone is built on the ocean floor. The cone grows with every new eruption. In time, the top of this volcano may reach the surface and form an island.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed by underwater volcanoes. Mauna Loa is an active volcano on the island of Hawaii. It began under water, more than three miles below the surface.

A few months ago, a fury of fire and smoke was seen in the sea near the Azore Islands in the Atlantic. An underwater volcano had reached the surface. In a short time, it erupted enough lava to form a small island. Instead of nine Azores, we had ten for a while, until the now island sank.

The Aleutian Islands seethe with volcanic activity. Here, volcanic islands appear overnight. Some disappear in a few days. No one knows when a new undersea volcano will erupt in this bleak northern region.