Pumice raft
Encyclopedia
A pumice raft is a floating raft of pumice
occasionally created by ocean-based volcanic activity.
Volcanic activity in the South Pacific near Tonga
on August 12, 2006 caused the emergence of a new island. The crew of the Maiken, a yacht that had left the northern Tongan islands group of Vava'u
in August, reported that they had seen streaks of light, porous pumice
stone floating in the water—and then had "sailed into a vast, many-miles-wide belt of densely packed pumice." They went on to witness the ephemeral island known as Home Reef
breaching the surface.
Pumice rafts drifted to Fiji
in 1979 and 1984 from eruptions around Tonga, and some were reportedly 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) wide.
Biologists suggest that animals and plants have migrated
from island to island on pumice rafts.
Astrobiologists have hypothetically linked pumice rafts to the origin of life. See Abiogenesis
.
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
occasionally created by ocean-based volcanic activity.
Volcanic activity in the South Pacific near Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
on August 12, 2006 caused the emergence of a new island. The crew of the Maiken, a yacht that had left the northern Tongan islands group of Vava'u
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
in August, reported that they had seen streaks of light, porous pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
stone floating in the water—and then had "sailed into a vast, many-miles-wide belt of densely packed pumice." They went on to witness the ephemeral island known as Home Reef
Home Reef
Home Reef is an ephemeral island built by a submarine volcano whose top has repeatedly breached the surface and was subsequently eroded by wave action again...
breaching the surface.
Pumice rafts drifted to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
in 1979 and 1984 from eruptions around Tonga, and some were reportedly 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) wide.
Biologists suggest that animals and plants have migrated
Animal migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individuals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon, found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be local...
from island to island on pumice rafts.
Astrobiologists have hypothetically linked pumice rafts to the origin of life. See Abiogenesis
Abiogenesis
Abiogenesis or biopoesis is the study of how biological life arises from inorganic matter through natural processes, and the method by which life on Earth arose...
.