NASA discovers island that cropped up after volcano eruption

In the southwest Pacific Ocean, close to New Zealand, an underwater volcano erupted on September 10, spewing ash and oozing lava. In the hours that followed, a new island began to rise above the surface.

NASA Earth Observatory which captured an image of the baby island, said in a press release that the new landmass grew in size quickly.

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).

The US space agency said that the new island sits on the Home Reef seamount in the Central Tonga Islands, southwest of the archipelago's Late Island. But it also added that the baby island might not be here to stay.

The island is situated on the Home Reef seamount in the Central Tonga Islands, according to NASA. However, the space agency believes that the newborn island might not be around for a long time.

'Islands created by submarine volcanoes are often short-lived, though they occasionally persist for years,' NASA explained.

'An island created by a 12-day eruption from nearby Late'iki Volcano in 2020 washed away after two months, while an earlier island created in 1995 by the same volcano remained for 25 years,' it added.

A Facebook statement of Tonga Geological Survey said that as of Monday, the seamount continues to erupt, leaving ash in its wake. However, it also added that the volcanic activity does not pose a threat to local residents of two islands nearby.