Island Was to Disappear in Months. It's Now Been 3 Years

When an ash island formed in the Pacific Ocean following an underwater volcanic eruption in late 2014, scientists predicted it would soon disappear. 

Over the next six months, the island nestled between two others of the Tonga nation experienced heavy erosion, but "then it leveled off," NASA scientist Dan Slayback explains in a video. Three years later, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai remains—reaching 400 feet above the ocean and covering almost 500 acres—and is predicted to last anywhere from six to 30 years, according to a new NASA study.

 It's an exciting development for a couple of reasons: First, scientists say the mass presents the first opportunity in the satellite era to carefully study how such islands form, per the Guardian. Second, the island could help scientists learn more about similar eruptions far away on Mars.

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