Practically overnight the Hawaiian Islands gained a new member, a tiny island nudged above the ocean surface. The island is a result of the recent eruption of Kilauea volcano, which has been spewing fresh lava onto the Big Island of Hawaii for over two months.
The tiny new island appeared on the northern edge of Hawaii and has been documented and assessed by the United States Geological Survey. During a flyby, field crew at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory noticed a new “island” had formed right off the coast of Hawaii. They estimate that the island is only a few meters offshore and measures 20 to 30 feet in diameter.
How did the tiny island suddenly form? Geologists believe the island is a result of a submarine tumulus where molten lava rises from upward pressure. The island appears to be the distal extent of the fissure 8 flow that is entering the Pacific Ocean.
This is a perfect example of how ephemeral Earth is and how geologic features can rapidly change. While the new island was recently and rapidly formed, it could just as quickly disappear. The most likely scenario is that fissure 8 will continue to be fed by molten lava, eventually filling in the gap in between the Big Island and the new small Hawaiian Island.
Therefore, the island may only temporarily be separated from the main island of Hawaii before it is eventually connected. However, if that doesn’t happen the relentless Pacific waves will eventually erode away the small island beneath the surface of the ocean. After all, our perception of the island is dependent on where it sits in relation to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. For instance, if the Pacific Ocean were lower as it is during ice ages, we wouldn’t see a new island but simply a little bump along the coastline of the Big Island.
In fact, there is a new island being formed to the southeast of Hawaii as we speak. It is called the Lö’ihi Seamount and represents the next island in the Hawaiian Island chain as the Pacific Plate continues to move over the Hawaiian hotspot. The island is just 20 miles off the southeast coast of Hawaii and sits at 10,100 feet above the ocean floor. It will need to continue to grow 3,100 feet before it reaches the surface of the Pacific Ocean and becomes the next island along the chain. Unfortunately, geologists estimate you’ll have to wait around a few tens of thousands of years before the island reaches the ocean surface.
It is possible that the Hawaiian community may want to name this small and ephemeral island or they may just leave it as is, waiting for one of the two scenarios above to play out.
Since Kilauea volcano began erupting in earnest on May 3rd, it has destroyed some 700 homes, reshaped Hawaii’s coastline and altered the ecosystem of the island. On top of that, the volcano shows no signs of slowing down, with recent magnitude 5 and greater earthquakes as a result of the eruption and new lava flows.
