Researchers Witness Birth Of Volcanic Island

chazR writes: "Researchers from CSIRO were present at the creation of a new volcanic island Once the molten lava stops being thrown 70m into the air, I reckon this would make an ideal offshore site for a server farm. Who's going to hassle you on top of a volcano miles from the nearest land. Getting the OC-192 link in could be a problem though ... " Well, that's only if Australia (not me) actually has dibs on the real estate.

Comments

Re:This is a significant evolutionary event!

[Dervak]

How often does a new landmass spring up before the eyes of a group of scientists???

I cant recall the exact figure, but new volcanic islands forming isnt that rare; once or twice a decade or so - perhaps more often still. It is rare that it happens in front of people though. Mostly it happens in uninhabited places, like e.g. in the Aleutians or off New Guineas shore.

Most of these new volcanic islands dont last though. The volcanic rock formed by the sudden cooling of magma by seawater in shallow water is brittle and easily eroded, and sea waves usually obliterate the new islands within months of the end of the eruption.

It is only when the eruption is large or long enough that the vent comes completely clear of seawater. Then the magma can solidify into a harder, more solid shield protecting the looser material below from erosion. If this happens the island should last for many decades at least, with no renewed activity. Surtsey in Iceland in 1963 is an example of this, and IIRC the only new volcanic island formed in the 20th century which still exists.

If the island lasts long enough (a few decades) the loose material (tephra) made from the phreatomagmatic (explosive activity from interaction of magma and water) activity early in the eruption undergoes a chemical transition and becomes hyaloclastite, a rock even harder than the overlying shield of lava. So, after a long time with no activity, when the lava shield is eroded away, the former soft core of the island remains as steep pillars, cliffs and seamounts.

/Dervak

Not that anyone would care about *facts*, but...

[orpheus]

Here are a few resources for anyone with the guts to make a go of it, and the brains to do it right. Some cover artificial islands, and some natural.

Proposed Inhabited Artificial Islands in International Waters

United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea Alas, for an 'artificial island' server farm, Article 121 states "3. Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf." Sections 60 and 80 confirm this. For 'natural islands' the key article seems to be Article 76, covering the 'continental shelf' provision.

Isn't the new volcanic island off New Zealand? if so, this summary of the New Zealand Geologic and Oceanographic Service's interpretation of UNCLOS may be useful.

There's a lot more, but basically sovereignity does *not* depend on actually possessing territory (the Vatican was sovereign during the time when Italy claimed its territory, as acknowledged by the other major powers) and actually possessing territory, the consent of the governed, and an independent, fully functioning government with military forces sufficient to defend that territory is not enough to guarantee sovereignity. (Taiwan was once thrown out of the UN because it was deemed to lack sovereignity despite possessing all of these)

Happy planning -- and best'o'luck to you!


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