(I) A volcanic island is born only after a long and violent struggle between the forces of the earth and the sea. (II) Such a brief intrusion of earth in the vast, overwhelming expanse of sea has always fascinated the human mind. (III) It begins to form when hot lava breaks through a cracked and uneven part of the sea-bed where the earth's crust is weak. (IV) Unlike the land volcano, it has to build upwards despite the immense water-pressure until it finally reaches the surface. (V) Even then it is too soft to withstand the waves and remains underwater until the cone is pushed into the air from below and the lava hardens.