Ongoing eruptions create a (tiny) new island
Ongoing eruptions on the Big Island create a tiny new island
Published: Jul. 13, 2018 at 8:52 PM HST|Updated: Jul. 14, 2018 at 9:02 AM HST
KAPOHO, BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii has a tiny new island.
In a flight Friday morning, geologists confirmed that a small island has formed off Kapoho, where lava flows are cascading into the sea.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimated that the island is about 20 to 30 feet in diameter and just a few meters offshore.
It formed at the northernmost part of the ocean entry and is "oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline."
The observatory said that the tiny island is likely part of the flow from fissure no. 8 that's entering the ocean.
It could also be a "submarine tumulus," which built up underwater and emerged above sea level.
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