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A new island has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. NASA photographed it

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

A new island has appeared in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. It is located on the Home Reef seamount in the central islands of Tonga.

CNN writes about it.

One of the underwater volcanoes erupted at this location on September 10, spewing lava, steam and ash. 11 hours after the volcano began to erupt, a new island appeared above the surface of the water. The NASA agency photographed it with the help of satellites.

According to NASA, the newborn island is growing rapidly. On September 14, researchers from the Geological Survey of Tonga estimated that the island was only 4,000 square meters, but by September 20 it had increased to 24,000 square meters.

Islands created by underwater volcanoes are "often short-lived," says NASA. But sometimes such islands can exist for years or even decades.

According to the Geological Survey of Tonga, the Home Reef volcano was still erupting on September 23. There, sailors were advised to sail four kilometers away from the volcano for safetyʼs sake.