[xoxoxoBruce]

You've heard them, "they're not making anymore land". Well it ain't so I tells ya, it's a lie.

Located about 30 kilometers off the southern coast of Iceland, lies the small island of Surtsey. It is one of the world's youngest
islands with an age just over fifty years.

Like all islands, Surtsey was conceived in an underwater volcanic eruption which began at a depth of 130 meters(427 ft) in the
Norwegian Sea. Molten lava kept piling up at the bottom and a mound began to rise, until it broke the surface on 14 November
1963, and the island was officially born.
Surtsey’s fascinating birth was witnessed by the crew of a trawler that was sailing in the vicinity. On seeing a dark column of
smoke rise at the distance, the captain thought that a boat was on fire, and ordered the vessel to investigate. Instead, they
found a growing island. Within a few days, the island measured over 500 meters(1640 ft) in length and had reached a height of
45 meters(148 ft).

Just look at those sun drenched beaches.

Meanwhile, the volcano continued to erupt and the island kept growing. When eruption finally stopped on 5 June 1967, the
island had grown to a size of 2.7 square kilometer(1.2 sq mi). Its highest point was 174 meters(571 ft) above the sea level.

What makes Surtsey so fascinating to scientists is the way the island is slowly being colonized by plants and birds. The first
vascular plants were found growing on the shores in the spring of 1965. In the next twenty years, some twenty species of
plants were observed there, but only about half of the species survived in the nutrient-poor sandy soil. Once birds started
arriving and nesting on the island, their droppings fertilized the soil and more plants began to survive. By 2008, there were
69 species of plant in Surtsey. Of these, mosses and lichens make up for most of the plant life, but new species continue to
arrive on the island by way of the sea, wind and birds, at a typical rate of roughly 2–5 new species per year.
Surtsey is also teeming with animal life. Twelve species are now regularly found on the island including fulmar, guillemot,
gull, and Atlantic puffins. Migrating birds also use Surtsey as a stopping place. Seals are seen basking on the northern shore.
The presence of seal also being orcas to the island. Insect species on Surtsey ranges in the hundreds. There are slugs,
spiders and beetles.

But then those damn real estate agents got together and...

To allow the island’s biology to grow naturally without human intervention, very few people are allowed to land on the island.
Once some young boys attempted to grow potatoes on the island, which were promptly dug up once discovered.
Another time, improperly handled human defecation from researchers camping on the island resulted in a tomato plant
taking root which was also destroyed.
Since 1965, Surtsey has been a nature reserve, and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Bastards covering their lies.

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