By: Jingwei Zhao

On September 10, 2022, a massive underwater volcanic eruption caused a new island to spawn. The island is now a part of the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga and does not pose a threat to the people that live, or to the Aviation Community. However, mariners should stay away from Home Reef by at least 4 kilometers of distance.

Four days after the eruption, Tonga Geological Services announced that the island area grew to 4,000 square meters and on September 20, it grew to a staggering 24,000. Researchers from NASA believe that the island will not last very long. After all, most land masses that form from underwater volcanic eruptions tend to get eroded very quickly.

However, some are strong enough to remain. According to NASA, “An island created by a 12-day eruption from nearby Late‘iki Volcano in 2020 washed away after two months, while an earlier island created in 1995 by the same volcano remained for 25 years.”

While some may want to see what the island has to offer, it is not possible as of now. Due to the island still being quite new, it is very unsafe to even walk on there. According to Rennie Vaiomounga of the Tonga Geological Services, “It’s (the island) more like a large layer of ash, steam, and pumice over the ocean.”