--- title: "Experts Have Bad News for That Tiny Island That Appeared the Other Day" description: "This isn't the first time that the Pacific Ocean has birthed a new island — and according to the experts, they tend to be a bit of a flight risk." date: "2022-09-26" modified: "2022-09-26" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bad-news-tiny-island" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "pacific ocean" - "the digest" - "volcanic eruption" - "volcano" --- # Experts Have Bad News for That Tiny Island That Appeared the Other Day ![This isn't the first time that the Pacific Ocean has birthed a new island — and according to the experts, they tend to be a bit of a flight risk.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Tectonic Fate If you feel yourself getting attached to that new island that [sprouted from the Pacific Ocean's waters]() spare yourself the agony. This isn't the first time that this sort of thing has happened in the area — and according to the experts, they tend to be a bit of a flight risk. To recap, this still-nameless new "island" appeared as the result of an underwater volcanic eruption. The active volcano, located on the Home Reef seamount — a stretch of sub-ocean mountains that line the ocean floor between New Zealand and Tonga — began its eruption on September 10, and the isle in question started to appear shortly thereafter. It's since grown to be roughly 8.6 acres, or about the size of 6.5 average-sized football fields. But sadly, this oceanic baby isle is likely to be only a fleeting addition to our maps. Ah, mortality. ## Loss.jpg The first recorded Home Reef eruption occurred back in 1852, which, [according to *The Washington Post*](), resulted in a similar — and temporary — island mass. Five years later, there was another eruption, and thus another fleeting island. Eruptions in 1984 and 2006 continued the same pattern: a volcano erupts, an "island" forms, and the island disappears. "Islands created by submarine volcanoes," [reads the NASA press release](), "are often short-lived." Unfortunately, there's not very much structural integrity to these ephemeral oceanic oddities. They're largely ash and minerals, so erosion chips away at them pretty easily — humans couldn't even walk on them if we wanted to. And while some have stuck around for as long as 25 years, most only last a few years, or maybe even just a few months. "It's more like a large layer of ash, steam and pumice over the ocean," Rennie Vaiomounga, a geologist at Tonga Geological Services, told *The Washington Post.* Referring to these strange little isles as "geological \[puzzles\]," he added: "we never know when the \[islands\] will appear or when it will disappear." Though it's strange to think of an island as something ephemeral, these fleeting additions to the Earth aren't traditional landmasses. And if anything, our newest baby volcano isle might serve as a reminder that our Earth itself is more than just a rock. It's still growing, changing, and transforming, much like the greater cosmos itself — and in our humble opinion, that's pretty damn cool. **READ MORE:** *[A volcano in Tonga birthed a new island. Consider it limited edition.]()* \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on baby island:** *[A New Island Just Appeared in the Pacific Ocean]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()