VOLCANO FORMS NEW ISLAND

The Polynesian kingdom of Tonga has a new island, which developed after the Home Reef seamount (underwater mountain) erupted recently. The volcano has reportedly been oozing lava steadily for weeks but doesn’t pose a risk to the residents in the South Pacific archipelago (see Word of the Week). The round island began to form about 10m above sea level within just 11 hours of the first eruption. Using satellites, scientist estimate that the island is about 24 000m² in length.