Pillow lava. Geological hammer (to show scale) on an outcrop of pillow lava dating to the Late Cretaceous (around 100 to 65 million years ago). Pillow lavas result from submarine (underwater) outflow of basaltic magma from volcanic vents. Rapid cooling causes the formation of these rounded shapes that give the lava its name. This outcrop is located in mid-eastern Cyprus, near the village of Alampra.