Surtsey: birth of a volcanic island and its colonisation
Surtsey: nacimiento de una isla volcánica y su colonización
- Date
- 14 de noviembre de 1963 - 5 de junio de 1967 · confidence high
- Place
- Surtsey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
- Credited to
- Icelandic scientists (Sigurdur Thorarinsson and others)
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
The 1963-1967 submarine eruption south of Iceland formed an island of up to 2.7 km² that was set aside as a natural laboratory with no public access. It lets scientists follow how new rock is colonised, from the first plants (1965) to bird and seal colonies.
The eruption began on 14 November 1963 and was declared over on 5 June 1967. It is a case of systematic scientific observation of a natural event.
What it led to
- primary ecological succession studies
- hydrothermal alteration of basalt by seawater (drillings of 1979 and 2017)
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (2008)