New pictures emerge of Earth's newest island
New pictures have emerged of the world's newest island, which emerged off the coast of Tonga after an underwater volcano erupted.
The unnamed island is 500 metres wide and 250 metres high, and was formed after the Hunga Tonga volcano erupted for the second time in five years last December.
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As little as a dozen tourists have visited the island, which experts believe will not last longer than a few more months because of continuing volcanic activity, reports the Metro.
Local hotelier Gianpiero Orbassano recently visited the island, and told The New Daily: "It's really quite solid once you are on it and it's quite high.
"It felt quite safe – the only difficult thing was getting out of the boat on to the island. The surface was hot, you could feel it. And climbing it was hard in the bright sun."
However, not everyone thinks it's a good idea to visit the new island.
Matt Watson, an expert in natural hazards from the University of Bristol, said the surface was probably "highly unstable".
He added: "You would really have to strongly convince me, with strong scientific reasons, to go on it."
A writer called Peter Munro visited the island in May for a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. Rising at the island's centre is a mountain over 100 metres high. Peter wrote: "The view atop the mountain boasts black sand, waves and a seemingly endless sea. The backside of the mountain encircles a large blue-green lake - tinted sulphurous yellow - which spills into the sea at high tide."
But, echoing the words of Matt Watson, he said: "There are already signs of decay here. The ground is dangerously unstable in parts. Waves are eating away at the edges of the mountain. We watch as part of the cliff above the lake cracks and tumbles into the water.
"Tonga's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources reportedly warned in May that the island was dangerous because a volcanic eruption was possible at any time."
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