NASA Spots New Island In Pacific Ocean As Underwater Volcano Erupts
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NASA has said that the new island might not be here to stay as islands created by submarine volcanoes are often "short-lived".
A new baby island has been spotted in the southwest Pacific Ocean hours after an underwater volcano erupted not far from Australia.
Earlier this month, the Home Reef volcano - located in the Central Tonga Islands - started spewing lava, steam and ash, and discoloured the surrounding water. Just eleven hours after the eruption, the new island then emerged above the water's surface, said NASA Earth Observatory, which captured images of the island with satellites.
As per NASA's press release, the newborn island grew quickly in size. On September 14, researchers with Tonga Geological Services estimated the area of the island to be 4,000 square meters (1 acre) and the elevation to be 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level. However, by September 20, the researchers informed that the island had grown to cover 24,000 square meters (6 acres).
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