Volcano Eruption Forms New Island in South Pacific

[Nutso]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31848255
Hunga Tonga volcano eruption forms new S Pacific island

Before eruption:


Crater that formed after eruption:

A new island has been formed in the South Pacific after the eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga.

Images have emerged of the island's surface, 45km (28 miles) north-west of Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa.

The island - which is 500m (1,640 feet) long - was formed after an eruption at the Hunga Tonga volcano that started in December.

One scientist said the island was likely to be highly unstable, and dangerous to visitors.

The volcano - the full name of which is Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai - erupted for the second time in five years in December.

Video captured on a boat hundreds of metres from the volcano showed fast-rising plumes of gas emerging from the sea.

Satellite images taken within days of the eruption showed new rock formations, and more sediment in the sea.

And next to one of the two islands that previously made up Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was a large circular crater.

A resident of Tonga's main island captured striking images of the new island from its surface.

[McAvoy]

There goes Les Luther's theory of not being able to make new land...

[Captain Seafort]

This is relatively common, although this one looks pretty big. I wonder how long it will last?

[Jim]

That is pretty awesome

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Ooh, that's pretty awesome there.

[Graham Kennedy]

This is relatively common, although this one looks pretty big. I wonder how long it will last?

From the size of it, it will be there for a good long time.

[McAvoy]

Well didn't a huge chunk of one of Hawaii's islands slid into the sea because the islands are made on basically sand as opposed to hard rock?

Of course not recently though. More like 100,000 years ago.

[Mikey]

Well didn't a huge chunk of one of Hawaii's islands slid into the sea because the islands are made on basically sand as opposed to hard rock?

Of course not recently though. More like 100,000 years ago.

AFAIK, the islands of Hawai'i are pretty much typical basaltic volcanic rock. There is definitely some continual subsidence and renewal, because the chain is along an active tectonic line; but I don't think there's a way for an island to be formed of sand rather than a small-grained variety of igneous rock.

[McAvoy]

Well didn't a huge chunk of one of Hawaii's islands slid into the sea because the islands are made on basically sand as opposed to hard rock?

Of course not recently though. More like 100,000 years ago.

AFAIK, the islands of Hawai'i are pretty much typical basaltic volcanic rock. There is definitely some continual subsidence and renewal, because the chain is along an active tectonic line; but I don't think there's a way for an island to be formed of sand rather than a small-grained variety of igneous rock.

I don't know. I just remember watching a documentary that was talking about how unstable the islands really are. They also talked about how easily the mountains can be brought down through erosion because it's not solid rock.

[Mikey]

I do know that the whole chain is both moving, and in the (slow) process of losing island volume from one end and having it added to the other.

[McAvoy]

The island chain is moving because of the plates are moving. Just like the Super volcano in Yellowstone. The hot spot stays put and the crust moves over it.