Gallery: Eerie Rocks From El Hierro Volcano

Satellite image of the sumbarine eruption off El Hierro Island

NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite snapped this image of the submarine eruption off El Hierro Island, one of the Canary Islands, on Feb. 10, 2012. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory)

During the October 2011 eruption of El Hierro volcano, hundreds of steaming volcanic "bombs" appeared floating on the sea surface about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) offshore La Restinga village. Tiny marine fossils encased in the lava fragments could reveal when El Hierro volcano, a new study suggests. Here are amazing images of the eerie rocks.

Marine sedimentary rock encased in lava from El Hierro volcano's 2011 eruption. (Photo credit: Valentin Troll, Uppsala University)

Floating lava steams in the ocean during El Hierro volcano's 2011 eruption. (Photo credit: Valentin Troll, Uppsala University)

Another view of lava bombs offshore El Hierro in 2011. (Photo credit: Valentin Troll, Uppsala University)

The underwater volcanic eruption at El Hierro volcano was marked by discolored seawater. (Photo credit: Valentin Troll, Uppsala University)

The extent of El Hierro volcano's 2011 underwater eruption. (Photo credit: Valentin Troll, Uppsala University)

Follow Becky Oskin @beckyoskin. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science .

Becky Oskin covers Earth science, climate change and space, as well as general science topics. Becky was a science reporter at Live Science and The Pasadena Star-News; she has freelanced for New Scientist and the American Institute of Physics. She earned a master's degree in geology from Caltech, a bachelor's degree from Washington State University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz.