There are three types of basalt lava flows: pillow, pahoehoe, and aa. Pillow Lava: Pillow lavas are volumetrically the most abundant type because they are erupted at mid-ocean ridges and because they make up the submarine portion of seamounts and large intraplate volcanoes, like the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain.Pahoehoe” and “aa” are Hawaiian words that describe lava. Pahoehoe Lava: Pahoehoe is the second most abundant type of lava flow. Pahoehoe near the coast of Kilauea. Photo by Steve Mattox, 1989.