Home Reef

Home Reef

Aster satellite "simulated natural color image" of the new volcanic island called "Home Reef". The two bluish plumes visible in the image are hot seawater that is laden with volcanic ash and chemicals. The plumes can be traced for almost 15 km (9.3 mi) to the East.
Summit depth −2 m (−7 ft)
Location
Location between Metis Shoal and Late Island, Tonga
Coordinates 18°59′28″S 174°45′47″W / 18.99111°S 174.76306°W / -18.99111; -174.76306Coordinates: 18°59′28″S 174°45′47″W / 18.99111°S 174.76306°W / -18.99111; -174.76306
Country Tonga
Geology
Type Seamount
Last eruption August 2006

Home Reef is an ephemeral island built by a submarine volcano whose top has repeatedly broken the surface and afterwards was eroded away by wave action. It is in the South Pacific, south of Late Island and southwest of Vava'u along the Tofua volcanic arc in Tonga.

Home Reef temporarily rose above sea level in island-building eruptions in 1852, 1857, 1984, and 2006.

After a volcanic eruption started on 8 August 2006, Home Reef emerged as an island; that eruption also spewed into Tongan waters large amounts of floating pumice, which swept across to Fiji about 350 km (220 mi) to the west of the new island. In October 2006 it reached almost the same size as it did in 1984 when it was about 0.5 km × 1.5 km (0.3 by 0.9 miles). The island was first seen by the crew of a yacht, who recorded its emergence in their blog.[1] The eruptions produced extensive rafts of pumice, which drifted northeast from the new island. The pumice rafts and new island were imaged by the Aqua satellite in August 2006. Images also revealed several small hot crater lakes on the newly formed island.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stone sea and volcano". Fredrik and Crew on Maiken. Blogger. 2006-08-17. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
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