The new, tiny island created by lava from Kilauea volcano is now a peninsula
Following the Hawaii Island eruptions, the small island that had formed along the Kapoho coast and has now become a peninsula.
The tiny island off of Hawaii Island’s eastern coastline has lost its island-hood. According to a tweet released by the US Geological Survey, a small strip of land now connects the landmass to the Big Island, making it a peninsula.
The small island was first spotted on a morning flight last Friday by a Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) field crew. Created off the coast of the Kapoho lava entry, likely thanks to the constant activity by the Fissure 8 flow, the HVO estimates that the island, now peninsula, is 20 to 30 feet in diameter. The US Geological Survey theorize that the recently created feature is a submarine tumulus, or an entity first built up underwater that then rose above the surface of the sea.
Photo courtesy of USGS
Although Hawaii Island’s additional island only retained its status as an island for a short time, this geological occurrence gives us yet another look at Kilauea’s creative powers.
