A New Land Is Born
At the northern edge of Zubair Islands - between Eritrea and Yemen in the Red Sea, a new island has just been minted!
Yet to be named, this island measures 1700 ft by 2300 ft – an area of about 75 acres! It is a mere mound of lava and ash, piled up with the eruption of an undersea shield volcano in the Red Sea.
So, how does this all happen?
Creation of new lands
According to the tectonic plate theory, the earth is made up plates that move around like jigsaw puzzle pieces. The floating segments meet each other at plate boundaries. Occasionally, volcano or lava flow occurs when molten lava comes to the earth’s surface at plate boundaries. Sometimes though, hotspots occur in the middle of plates that can cause a plume of hot mantle material to come to surface. These fissures may persist and with plate movements, they can form a chain of volcanoes over millions of years.
What makes new island creations rare and exciting is that, when lava emerges under the ocean, it immediately cools and forms a crust – “pillow lava”. Oceanic activity usually erodes away the crust leaving nothing much by way of land. It is only when the persistent volcanic activity and buildup is faster than the force of erosion, do the islands actually get created and survive.
There are a few important islands that are of fairly recent origin. Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland - formed through 4 years of volcanic activity in 1963. Anak Krakatau, in the caldera of Krakatoa in Indonesia, rose from the water in August 1930. More recently in the Canary Islands region, lava flow is causing a new island to be formed off the northwest coast of Africa.
The Hawaiian Islands
The most well known island chain that have been created as a result of volcanic activity are the Hawaiian islands. These islands are formed from underground volcanoes that have reached the surface of the ocean. What gives the Hawaiian islands its distinct shape? Geophysicists have an explanation.
Under the present day Big Island lies a giant hotspot that releases hot magma from within the Earth. The hotspot does not move, but the Pacific plate (on which the islands rest) is moving ever so slightly in the north-west direction. The continually moving plate eventually carries the island beyond the hotspot, cutting it off from the magma source. As one island moves away, the next one develops over the hotspot and the cycle is repeated. For a pictorial description of the Hawaiian island formation, check out this wonderful resource.
Even more amazing is that the Hawaiian Islands have an unborn sister! Christened Loihi, on the south east end of Big Island is a volcanic hotspot. Presently 3000 ft below the sea level, the island began forming some 400,000 years ago. The new land is expected to emerge from the ocean in about 10,000 to 100,000 years or so, as more lava build up takes place.
Notes
Did you know that there are over 5000 known underwater volcanoes? Even with today’s technology it is too difficult to predict and tell volcanic activity under the ocean. Geologists usually find them by listening for tell-tale boiling water using hydrophones – a microphone that records and listens for underwater sounds. But at extreme depths, the pressure is too high for water to even boil!
Wow! This article is cool!
I think that explorers have to find more information about these new lands.
really cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I wonder how many more undescovered lands there are.
that was a big tornado
What does it look like?
cool
This article is amazing and I learned a lot from it! I never knew how islands formed...and it is kind of cool to think that something that destroys civilizations can create one too. I think that the Island should be named Island Volcano, because it it just a huge pile of ash and soot. It would be cool to visit the island and see how big (or small) it actually. Because it is small, I wonder who found it and how?
Anyway, I learned that islands can be formed by magma. For example, the Big Islands are located on a hotspot that spews magma, and the magma doesn't move, but the Pacific Plate that the islands are located on is moving slightly north-west. Because of this, it cuts off the magma. Then, after some more magma building, an island can be born into the world! I also learned that some Islands can take about 100,000 years to build up, which is a really long time! I am just amazed by this and want to visit a volcano in action building up an island some day.
New lands being formed, an interesting topic.
I hope the island is called A7Xland lol
wow. This really got to me. It's kind of cool, how every thing plays out to be the way it is. I was reading this article and i found some really interesting facts, the hawaii islands for example, the creation of the new islands, or land. I feel that islands themselves could just be studied for years and years and years.
I know that everyone would rather study countries, or specific landforms. But in my opinion i think that islands are really interesting. They are pieces of land that are surrounded all around by water. That's crazy. If you think about it every island could be a continent, in their own separate way. Then we would have millions and millions of islands, all around the world. Enough so that almost every two families in the world, would get their own island. Think about that!!! Your family, and some of your friends all have your own little place of land.
That's fascinating, anyway, what shall we name this island?
Island Volcano!
Wow that is pretty neat how the new islands form themselves. I think that is a cool process that I just learned from this article.
Wouldn't it be cool to see the process in action? Slow...but cool. :)
Nice!! I wonder if the land will be successful.. or will it FAIL???
Weird that new lands can be formed!
Wonder what the name will be...
That is really cool how a new island can just form out of another island. I think that once an island has been formed that means more world information to talk about and that means more research that needs to be done about this new island.
This article is so interesting! i never knew how islands or land forms. and i would really like to see a volcano in action someday!
I never knew how islands formed either and it would be cool to see an active volcano.
What if it happens more often ????
Good question Adithya1. If more lava flow sticks and doesn't disintegrate into the sea, we could see the land getting bigger.
However, If the hotspot moves to a different part of the earth's crust and the the lava flow persists and it does not dissolve into the sea, we may see a string or chain of islands developing.
wow 4 years of volcanic activity in 1963.
I would like to see a volcano in real because they are cool.
o my goodness
Wow we just learned about this.
awesome, sooo cool. new island! what is it called?
awesome!!!!!!! totally!!!!!!!!!
I want to visit that island!
SAME!!
I wonder who will get there first. coooooooollllllll
I want to visit that Island!
i want to have that island
cool
Its just there for some reason you know. Maybe it might become military bases.
I would start a new country right there on that island.
Maybe I might by it.
how cool
this is so amazing
looks cool
@cc: They're probably going to take some time naming it.
COOL!!! Now I can tell my children that I was there when [insert island name here] was created.
Does anybody know what or if they have a name for the island yet?
That's so cool!
I wonder who it belongs to. Bill Gates might buy it maybe. but its so awesome.
cool!!!!
So amazing!
Wow!!!!