NEW YORK: Two volcanic islands have emerged in the Red Sea, forming from undersea eruptions that sent towering plumes of gases and ash into the air.
The islands named Sholan and Jadid formed in what is known as the Zubair archipelago near Yemen in the southern Red Sea. They formed in 2001 and 2013. They grew quite quickly after forming but have since shrunk over time due to erosion, according to a study published in Nature Communications that used high-resolution satellite imagery to study their changing size over time.
Sholan Island – located between Haycock and Rugged islands – grew out of an eruption that lasted 25 days starting in December 2011. It reached a size of .52 kilometers wide and 0.77 kilometers long before shrinking 30 percent over the past two years. Wind and ocean currents also played a role in its size, according to the study, with the island growing the north in the winter and spring while deposits move back from the northern shore to the southern part of the island during the summer.
