New island from eruption near tonga

[gunnado]

The link below is interesting to remind you that you can still can find uncharted islands.

An Underwater Volcano Just Created A New Island | Nature | Science | Australian Popular Science

Anyone know where this is?


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[Tx J]

Originally Posted by gunnado

The link below is interesting to remind you that you can still can find uncharted islands.

An Underwater Volcano Just Created A New Island | Nature | Science | Australian Popular Science

Anyone know where this is?


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Wikipedia is your friend (although it's already been 'found' and explored pretty well in its few months old infancy , whaaaaa ) :

Location
Coordinates 20°34′S 175°23′W / 20.57°S 175.38°W
https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/ge...%2Fspan%3Eapai


Hunga Tonga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai is a volcano located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-southeast of Fonuafoʻou (also known as Falcon Island),[1] an island which is part of the nation of Tonga."
..."By January 16, a new island had been formed by the explosion.[26] Tongan officials estimated the new island to be 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long, and 100 metres (330 ft) high,[24][25] although geologists said the new island would probably exist only a few months until ocean waves wore it down.[27] "
..."Tongan officials declared the eruption at an end on January 26,[29] after observing no new gas, ash, or rock emerging from the island vent.[30] By this time the island was 1 to 2 kilometres (0.62 to 1.24 mi) wide, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long, and 120 metres (390 ft) high.[29][30] The island had joined with Hunga Haʻapai, and was about 200 metres (660 ft) away from joining with Hunga Tonga.[29][30] "

At about a mile across, and ~390 feet high I think this new bouncing baby might stay around a while.

[Suijin]

Maybe not. Might want to go visit before it's gone, but take your asbestos sandals along:

By January 16, a new island had been formed by the explosion. Tongan officials estimated the new island to be 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long, and 100 metres (330 ft) high, although geologists said the new island would probably exist only a few months until ocean waves wore it down.

From Wikipedia, so it must be true.

[JPA Cate]

Depends on if it's a pumice island: those do get worn away pretty fast. Not so nice for sailboats in the area, sailing through all that pumice takes the paint right off! Pretty disappointing if you've just painted the hull.

Ann

[PDA1]

This sounds exactly like the Laurel & Hardy movie "Utopia".


Utopia Review (1951)

[Oceanride007]

I worked a bit on a oceanic Survey vessel, couple of years ago in this area. This area is one of the most active areas for tectonic plate movement. We mapped ocean floor and discovered many subsea volcanoes. Of course we weren't there for sight seeing, we were surveying the area for mineral sands exploitation.

Its a little to the North of an island volcano where Bligh regrouped after being mutinied (Think Tofua) and of course just before his incredible journey to Kupang indonesia.

[exMaggieDrum]

in 2006 we left the Vava'u group of northern Tongan islands bound for New Zealand. Before we left there was much discussion about an underwater volcano on the Home Reef system, south and west of where we were at. The beaches on the west side of the islands were covered in pieces of pumice that had floated there from the volcano. Cruisers who had left earlier reported massive floats/rafts of pumice that was quite thick and scoured the sides of their boats.

Everyone that was leaving wanted to avoid both the volcano and the pumice so we listened for pumice reports before we left. Of course we wanted to avoid the volcano so we put a waypoint on our systems where it was located and plotted our route well away from it. We never got close enough to see it (we were in a near-gale the first few days any way).

Don't mess with Mother Nature. Home Reef (Tonga) volcano, eruption news: new island born

[gunnado]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...off-Tonga.html


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[gunnado]

Might be an interesting stop if your cruising past?


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[DavefromNZ]

On the online Navionics charts you can see an area of volcanic activity at 245deg and 50nm from Vav'au. In 1984 an island popped up and I was tasked to fly over to report on it. It was maybe 50-100m high and about 5-10km round. A month later we flew over and there was just a brown smudge on the ocean. I would not want to be beneath when it went up or walking on it when it went back down again!


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[gunnado]

I would want to walk on it! For just a moment


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[Orion Jim]

I'd like to sail through the pumice for a few hours if it would strip all my bottom paint off down to the original gel coat. Save me a whole lot of work.