What Does A New Born Island Look Like?
After a volcano erupted for weeks in January off the coast of Tonga, it actually moved above water and formed a new island.
The underwater eruption was so large, it sent a pillar of ash into the sky that caused all international flights in or out of the islands to be cancelled.
The new island is about one-mile long, a half-mile wide, and about 820 feet above sea level.
Three men recently visited the island and climbed to the crater’s peak. They took the first pictures ever seen of the former undersea volcano and the land above water it created.
Inside the volcano is a bath of green emerald water that smells strongly of sulfur and other chemicals. The island however is made entirely of ash, making the ground too soft to walk on. It is expected to only be visible for a few months before it dissipates back into the Ocean.
Volcanic islands are still rare and important to volcanologists to learn more about volcano’s nature.
There is some hope however based on the volcanic island known as Nii-jima that appeared off Japan’s coast. It was also expected to erode away but instead, it has grown over 10 times its original size.
Other volcanic islands that have been successful include Hawaii’s big island which is actually five volcanic islands that all merged together.
