A new island has recently emerged in the Pacific Ocean following the eruption of a submarine volcano.
According to NASA, the Home Reef seamount located in the Central Tonga Islands awoke on September 10, and some 11 hours later, the eruption started.
The newborn island was visible on images procured via the Operational Land Imager-2 on board Landsat 9 on September 14.
Researchers from Tonga Geological Services estimate the island’s acreage at 4,000 square meters, with an elevation of 10 meters above sea level.
NASA points out, however, that islands created by submarine volcanic eruptions tend to be “short-lived”: for example, an island that arose due to an eruption of Late‘iki Volcano in 2020 ended up beneath the waves only two months later.
However, another island that was created during the eruption of the same Late‘iki Volcano back in 1995 “remained for 25 years,” the space agency notes.