CNN
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The Central Tonga Islands have welcomed the birth of a new baby: Children’s Island.
A new children’s island has emerged in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where underwater volcanoes are scattered. One of these submerged volcanoes woke up on September 10, spewing lava, steam and ash. According to a statement from NASA’s Earth Observatory.
Just 11 hours after the volcano’s eruption began, a new island appeared above the water’s surface, according to NASA, which has captured satellite images of the nascent island.
The size of the newborn island has grown rapidly, according to NASA. On September 14, researchers from Tonga’s geospatial services estimated that the island covers only 4,000 square meters, about one acre.
But on September 20, Al Jazeera It has grown to cover 24,000 square metersor about 6 hectares.
The new island is located on Mount Hum Reef in the central islands of Tonga, southwest of the late archipelago.
You may not want to get too attached to the small island: NASA says islands formed by underwater volcanoes are “often short lived.” But ephemeral islands can sometimes last for years or even decades.
Home Reef volcano was still erupting on Friday, According to a Facebook post from the Tonga Geological Survey. But the volcanic activity “poses low risk to the aviation community and to the residents of Vava’u and Hapa’i,” the two island groups in central Tonga.
“No visible ash has been reported in the past 24 hours,” the agency added. “All seafarers are advised to sail more than 4 kilometers from Home Reef until further notice.”
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