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Tropical Paradise: Get It While It's Hot!

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Are you tired of the cold? Do your arms ache just thinking of shoveling snow?

Have I got a vacation escape for you! It’s a brand new tropical island—barely a month old. It’s toasty warm, fresh from a volcano! The baby island is so new that it doesn’t even have a name, but it’s in the Polynesian nation of Tonga. Think of blue oceans and warm sands, really, really warm sands.

Tonga: Doesn’t this look better than another snowstorm? Source: Wikipedia

You better hurry, this isn’t the first time this island has appeared. It is the tip of an underwater volcano between two tropical islands, Hunga Tonga and Hunga Haʻapa. The islands are actually the rim of a giant caldera. Not only are they unattractively covered with guano, their native names mean the islands that “jump back and forth” indicating they have frequent earthquakes.

The earthquakes are associated with volcanic activity. Back in 2009, the volcano in the middle erupted enough to peek above the surface of the water. Then, when it quieted, wave erosion washed it underwater again.

A new island being born while “red tide” algae flourishes around it. Source: NASA

Last December 19, while most people were getting ready to celebrate Christmas, the volcano had another real blast. By January 11, the ash and debris were messing with airplane travel. Algae thrived on the chemicals and two days later, the region formed a deadly red tide. On January 16, the island was reborn and ten days later the eruptions stopped. It’s a little larger than a square mile in diameter. It is mostly loose volcanic rocks, so it probably won’t last, but for the moment, it is the youngest island in the world.

Actually new islands are not that unique. There have been 5 born over the last 5 years, two in Japan, one in Yemen, one in Pakistan and the newest in Tonga. That’s more than usual; the Earth is a bit restless.

So much for the tropics! We are returning you to your regularly scheduled snow. Source: NOAA

But isn’t it nice to know that if you get restless looking at the latest storm, there is a fresh warm little island waiting for you in the tropics.

About The Author

James J. Garriss

With an academic background in international business, James is a writer, editor and researcher for Browning Media LLC, helping to present accurate climatological projections. Read More from James J. Garriss

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