The Brand New Island of Surtsey

Located about 30 kilometers off the southern coast of Iceland, lies the small island of Surtsey. It is one of the world's youngest island with an age just over fifty years. Like all islands, Surtsey was conceived in an underwater volcanic eruption which began at a depth of 130 meters in the Norwegian Sea. Molten lava kept piling up at the bottom and a mound began to rise, until it broke the surface on 14 November 1963, and the island was officially born. Surtsey on November 30, 1963, 16 days after the beginning of the eruption. Photo credit: Howell Williams. Surtsey’s fascinating birth was witnessed by the crew of a trawler that was sailing in the vicinity. On seeing a dark column of smoke rise at the distance, the captain thought that a boat was on fire, and ordered the vessel to investigate. Instead, they found a growing island. Within a few days, the island measured over 500 meters in length and had reached a height of 45 meters. The new island was named after Surtur, the fire god from Norse mythology. Less than three weeks after the island first appeared, a team of three French journalist dared to set foot on the still smoldering rock. They remained for fifteen minutes before a violent explosion forced them to leave. Fortunately, the French did not try to claim the island, although the journalists did joke about it. Before things got more serious and political, Iceland quickly asserted control over the new island. Meanwhile, the volcano continued to erupt and the island kept growing. When eruption finally stopped on 5 June 1967, the island had grown to a size of 2.7 square kilometer. Its highest point was 174 meters above the sea level. However, since the end of eruption, the island has been diminishing in size. The island is made mostly of a loose pile of volcanic rock known as tephra, which is being rapidly eroded away by the North Atlantic. As of 2012, its surface area has halved and its maximum elevation has fallen to 155 meters.