What became of the icelandic "Surtsey" ?
Peter Gren Larsen
Hi Peter,
Surtsey is still around. Volcanoes of the World (by Tom Simkin and
Lee Seibert) lists its last activity as 1967. It is now being
attacked by waves, and if it does not erupt again it may eventually
disappear. Many times during the early days of its eruption it was
nearly washed away by the waves. That is because it was originally
mostly ash (formed by the explosive interaction of erupting lava
and ocean water). As soon as the cone had built to the point that
water could no longer gain access to the vent, the eruption style
changed to more Hawaiian style, with lava fountains producing lava
flows. These hardened flows are much more resistant than the
earlier-produced ash, and they guarantee that the island won't be
washed away very quickly.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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