A new island has been discovered in the middle of the ocean hours after an undersea volcano near Australia erupted.
The New Island
The Central Tonga Islands’ undersea Home Reef volcano first erupted earlier this month, and within a few hours, the newest land mass on Earth had emerged.
The island was created when lava from the volcano was cooled by the ocean water and expanded over several days as the lava flowed.
The island was estimated to be 4000 square meters in size and 10 meters above sea level by Tonga Geological Services scientists on September 14, but by September 20, it had expanded to 24,000 square meters.
However, the island may not be permanent, according to NASA Earth Observatory.
