It all started with the eruption of an underwater volcano in the Central Tonga Islands on September 10, and in just eleven hours a landmass emerged, formed by the seepage of lava cooled and solidified by ocean waters. In the following days, the lava continued to flow and the newly formed island grew. On September 16, the island grew to 170 meters in diameter, then to 182 meters in two days.
By September 20, the island had now reached 24,000 square meters in size and 10 meters in height.
The formation of the new island was captured in images taken by the Landsat 9 satellite on September 14. In this natural color image, we see a large cloud of steam and ash drifting away from the volcano. In addition, waters are seen spreading around the landmass, created by the presence of superheated and acidic seawater containing volcanic rock and sulphur.
The new island Hunga Tonga-Hunga is located northeast of Haapai and northwest of Moungaone. This part of the Pacific lies where three tectonic plates slowly collide and is home to the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone.
Unfortunately, this new island doesn’t seem to live long. Erosion by waves and currents will quickly erode the volcanic cliffs and the island will quickly disappear.
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