The island of pumice stone the size of 20,000 football fields drifting in the Pacific Ocean

Scientists report that a vast island of 150 km2 volcanic rock drifts into the Pacific Ocean.

Australian sailors made the first observations of this pumice agglomeration – the size of 20,000 football fields – at the beginning of the month.

The experts point out that the mbad they call "raft" probably comes from an underwater volcano that appeared on 7 August and is located near Tonga, an island country in Polynesia, according to reports. satellite images.

Mariners have been warned of the potential danger this may pose.

The production of large "rafts" of volcanic rock occurs most often when the volcano is in shallow water, according to experts.

An Australian couple sailing on a catamaran bound for Fiji was the first to report this pumice island when they accidentally encountered it.

"The waves dropped so much that the sea was almost completely calm, and the ship slowed down to a knot" of the volcanic rock mbad, wrote Michael Hoult and Larissa Brill on the Internet on August 16.

"The mbad of stones reaches as far as the eye can see under the moonlight and our reflector."

They were temporarily blocked when the rocks blocked the bar, but they were finally able to navigate outside the area.

Since then, they have sent samples of pumice, ranging from rocks the size of a marble to a basketball ball "- to researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia.

"The whole surface converted to earth"

Professor Scott Bryan, a geologist who studies the samples in QUT, said that these mbades can be seen about once every five years in the region.

"This is a phenomenon that has already been reported, as islands in the middle of the ocean that people meet but can not find," he told the BBC.

"It may seem that the whole surface (of the ocean) had become land."

According to the professor, the satellite images show how the mbad split into two and some loose rocks formed figures in the form of adhesive tape.

"At the moment, more than a billion pieces of pumice are floating together, but over time, they will separate and disperse throughout the region," he said.

Currently, "the island" is heading towards Fiji and probably pbades New Caledonia and Vanuatu. It is also planned to reach Australia.

"You may be able to reach Australia in a year, but we do not know if it will last that long," said Dr. Martin Jutzeler of the University of Tasmania.

Potential profit

Scientists claim that the mbad of volcanic rock will likely become home to marine life when it crosses the Pacific, under the effect of ocean currents.

"A lot of life can hang on pumice and be transported for thousands of miles, so it's a way to renew ecosystems in some areas, but it can also introduce invasive species," he said. said Dr. Jutzeler.

If it reaches Australia, the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef could benefit, according to some experts.

"It's a potential mechanism to replenish the Great Barrier Reef," said Bryan, a professor at the Queensland University of Technology.

"Based on what has been observed with similar phenomena over the last 20 years, (the mbad of pumice) will bring healthy corals and new inhabitants to the reefs."

Coral regeneration has collapsed in the Great Barrier Reef, the largest reef system in the world, after unprecedented bleaching in 2016 and 2017.