New Islands Formed in the Past 20 Years

Kavachi

As one of the most active undersea volcanoes in the Pacific, Kavachi erupts every few years. Located south of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands, it has created a temporary island at least nine times since 1939, its first recorded eruption. The last known island was formed in 2002, but it was eroded away by waves within a year. Eruptions in 2004, 2007 and 2014 failed to produce a new Kavachi island, but researchers recently made a truly extraordinary discovery. Underwater cameras showed sharks, stingrays and other unexpected sea creatures thriving in the scalding, acidic waters in and around the submerged volcano.