Disappearing Island Reappears
For the fourth time in the past 90 years, a small islet off the coast of
Trinidad suddenly appeared from beneath the ocean several days ago.
Residents of the coastal city of Chatham awoke to find the new territory
once again in the Columbus Channel about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) offshore.
In the few days since the nameless island has resurfaced, it has already
become home to many birds. It has also generated extra income for local
fishermen, who are providing boat rides for the curious to take a closer
look at the capricious island. However, scientists Jan Lindsay and Kirstie
Simpson said the fragile island had formed from a mud volcano and warned
people to stay off of it as it could explode in eruptions of mud or emit
toxic gasses that could spontaneously combust.
The scientists explained that such features are not true volcanoes and do
not erupt with lava or ash, but occur when mud and sand are pushed up by
compressive forces and expelled. Mud volcanoes, which typically are found in
areas rich in oil and natural gas such as the south of Trinidad, often
surface along zones of weakness in the Earth's crust. Lindsay said, "The mud
volcanoes are probably always there just below the surface, coming up, going
down again, coming up again . . . every now and then they come up far enough
to reach the surface."
The mud island was first documented in 1911, when it broke through the
ocean's surface in a flaming explosion and rose 12 feet (3.6 meters) above
sea level. The event caused widespread panic among locals. The mud island
rose again in 1928 and 1964, only to be eroded and disappear again.
But in 1997, a similar eruption in the central Trinidadian community of
Piparo spewed mud 150 feet (45 meters) into the Caribbean sky, engulfing
homes. The loud rumbling and shaking that preceded the explosion alerted
sleeping residents, who fled the eruption without any reported injuries.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/earthalert/ea20010522.html
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