A Brand New Island in the Pacific has Survived 5 Years

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai with the ship SSV Robert C. Seamans. Image Credit: Captain Chris Nolan (Sea Education Association) of the SSV Robert C. Seamans (Oct. 2019).

A surtseyan eruption is a volcanic eruption in shallow water. It’s named after the island Surtsey, off the coast of iceland. In 2015, a surtseyan eruption in the Tongan Archipelago created the island Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai. Despite the odds, that island is still there almost five years later.

Continue reading “A Brand New Island in the Pacific has Survived 5 Years”