An Island is born
Day after day, huge explosions filled the air. The ocean sizzled as hot rock and ash shot up from the sea floor. Soon, a large mound of dark, melted rock rose out of the water. Far out in the sea, a new volcano was born.
After it rose above the surface of the ocean, the new volcano was called an island. This island formed in the ocean near the southern coast of Iceland. It is called Surtsey. It is really an underwater volcano, and its bottom lies under the sea.
For four months, huge explosions sent steam and ash into the air. Steam sometimes rose as high as 6 kilometres. Then flaming hot lava began to flow. When it hit the cold water, the lava cooled and hardened, forming a cone-shaped mountain. The volcano erupted for about three and a half years.
Today, Surtsey covers an area of nearly 2.6 square kilometres. From a distance, the island appears to have no life on it. But scientists who visit it are finding insects and spiders there, as well as plants that started from seeds carried by birds, wind, and water.
Picture Credit : Google