In the western Pacific Ocean, a new volcanic island that formed in the shadow of Nishino-shima has merged with it. The island has doubled in size as the eruption continues.
The Aeolian Islands formed from a chain of volcanoes in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of the island of Sicily. Geologists and volcanologists have studied the islands since the eighteenth century, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared them a World Heritage Site in 2000 because of their value to the study of volcanic processes.
Acquired on on May 5, 2009, this true-color image shows Marion Island in the Indian Ocean. Sparsely vegetated, this volcanic island has remnants of snow near its summit.
A new island is forming in the Red Sea. Satellite imagery indicates an ongoing eruption in the Zubair Group of the coast of Yemen is largely above water.
Acquired September 17, 2005, this true-color image shows Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Also shown are Tortola’s smaller neighbors: Guana Island, Grand Camanoe, and Beef Island.