Incredible images of the world’s newest island
TONGA - JULY 10: (AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND OUT) Journalist, Peter Munro, stands in a cave on the newest island on Earth, July 10, 2015. It emerged from the waters of the South Pacific in January 2015 when a volcano erupted on the nearby island of Tonga, forcing pulverised magma into the air above the ocean. The magma gradually built up on the ocean floor, penetrating the surface of the water to form the island. (Photo by Edwina Pickles/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Thanks to a volcanic eruption last year, a new island has emerged off the coast of Tonga.
The as-yet unnamed island is 500 metres wide and 250 metres high, but don’t book a flight just yet – experts say it is unlikely to last longer than a few months.
The brand new land mass was formed after the nearby Hunga Tonga volcano erupted underwater in December last year, for the second time in five years.
Witnesses noticed gas rising from the sea, before satellite images later confirmed that a new island had been formed.
Footprints from one of the island’s few visitors. Photo: Getty
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Since then, there have been less than a dozen curious visitors to the hot spot, with some reporting the land is so fresh it’s warm to touch.
The island is officially in Tongan territory, and has even been symbolically claimed by a visitor who laid down a Tongan flag.
A local hotelier who travelled to the island with two friends said he was likely to return.
“It’s really quite solid once you are on it and it’s quite high,” said Gianpiero Orbassano.
“It felt quite safe – the only difficult thing was getting out of the boat on to the island. The surface was hot, you could feel it. And climbing it was hard in the bright sun.”
One scientist warned that the mass was unstable and shouldn’t be climbed, but Mr Orbassano dismissed the danger.
“I don’t feel risk,” he told BBC. “When I am doing this kind of thing, I’m focusing on my photographs. I don’t feel danger.”
Matt Watson, an expert in natural hazards from the University of Bristol, said the surface was probably “highly unstable”.
“You would really have to strongly convince me, with strong scientific reasons, to go on it,” he said.
Perhaps the incredible images below will be enough to satisfy any hopeful visitors.
It may never be inhabited, but the Tongan flag flies proudly on the island. Photo: Getty
The magma gradually built up on the ocean floor, penetrating the surface of the water to form the island. Photo: Getty
Journalist, Peter Munro, stands in a cave on the newest island on Earth. Photo: Getty
