New Islands Formed in the Past 20 Years

 Sholan and Jadid islands

After an explosive 25-day underwater volcanic eruption in the Red Sea in 2011, a tiny island named Sholan appeared in the Zubair Archipelago, a small chain of volcanic islands between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that currently belongs to Yemen. According to a report in Scientific American, the Red Sea is a hotbed of seismic and volcanic activity formed by a massive rift in the Earth's crust where two tectonic plates are ripping apart at almost half an inch a year. In 2013, another island named Jadid emerged nearby after a 54-day eruption. Both islands have since shrunk due to erosion from waves and the elements.