Tongan gets new island due to volcanic eruption

Thursday, November 7, 2019

A volcanic eruption beneath the sea in the Tongan archipelago has sunk one island and created another one, which is three times larger.

The Tonga Geological service said that the new island is estimated to be about 100 metres wide and 400 metres long and located around 120 metres west of its now-submerged predecessor.

There was an 18-day undersea eruption last month in an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

The new island is situated between Kao and Late in the Pacific island nation’s northern Ha’apai group of islands.

Tonga sits atop notorious Ring of Fire, a seismic prone area in the Pacific Ocean, which is also responsible for around 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes.

In 2014 also, an island was created out of volcanic eruption in the region, which is now home to plants and birdlife.

The island witnessed eruption this year in August also, which sent massive swathes of floating pumice spreading across the sea. A sailor had claimed that he had to spend 6 to 8 hours sailing through the 15 cm thick pumice without ever seeing the water.

Matis Shaol has erupted several times earlier and is known for sometimes creating temporary volcanic islands. Eruptions were found in 1967 and again resurfaced in 1979, when an island was formed, which was named Lateiki and later officially recognized by the Tongan government.

It was touted as a black lump of rock, which dissolved back in the ocean within a few months.

The island appeared again in 1995 after another eruption, with a 280-metre diameter and a height of 43 metres, before disappearing again. A small portion was also found again in 2006. There are records of the island appearing again in the area in 1781 and 1854. Geologists are keeping an eye on the island to observe what happens next.

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