There are many places on our earth that are beyond our understanding and have filled with many mysteries. Surtsey Island is also one of those places that are full of mysteries. Surtsey is a volcanic island located in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland. This island was not existent before 1963. On November 14, 1963, people riding on a fishing vessel saw black smoke rising on the surface of the ocean. So the ship's captain thought that there was a fire in a boat from which the smoke was coming out. But after the research, it came to know that there is an Island originally being born there. Actually, this was happening due to the eruption of a volcano from inside the water. Later this Island was named as Surtsey. The volcanic eruption lasted for three and half years and when the activity settled down in 1967, what remained was an island where no island had been before.
The vocanic eruption on this Island lasted until 5 June 1967, when the island reached its maximum size of 2.7 km2. But due to wave erosion, the size of island is steadily diminished. Since then, erosion has reduced the elevation of the island to 505 feet above sea level and trimmed its area to 0.54 square mile, as of 2008. Surtsey is a very famous Island, because it is one of the islands emerging from below sea level. After Surtsey Island cooled down, many geologists, biologists, and environmentalists visited it, and it is now the site of a long-term organic research program organized by Icelandic and American scientists. The name of this island was named Surtur by the Government of Iceland in 1965, the fire god of Icelandic mythology. There is a small prefabricated hut which is used by researchers while staying on the island. There are few bunk beds in the hut and a solar energy source to drive an emergency radio and other important electronics.
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