The Birth Of An Island (VIDEO)

From BBC Earth:

When people think of new things in nature, they usually think of baby animals. And that's usually what's captured on camera... until now.

Check out this incredible video of a volcanic island being born in the Solomon Islands.

Join us on Facebook to see exclusive content or visit the Life Is website for more nature stories, videos and images. Or, if you want a rare look behind the scenes, visit the BBC Earth website.

WATCH:

Comments

[greysells2]

03:14 PM on 01/26/2011

Neat vid of our living, evolving earth.

[jaredbrain]

12:22 PM on 01/26/2011

This isn't an island forming, it's dirt surfacing and floating away. What a disappointment caused directly by exaggerated headlines on HP.

[bernusdellus]

04:24 AM on 01/26/2011

Nobody does documentaries like the BBC.

Go, BEEB!

[MyResponsibility]

10:45 PM on 01/25/2011

I saw some bubbles and some steam.  Where's the new island?

[jimboy71]

01:40 PM on 01/26/2011

Under the water.

[MyResponsibility]

03:54 PM on 01/26/2011

That would not be an island, then. Islands are land surrounded by water.  Before becoming an island, it becomes an islet. After growing a bit further, it becomes a cay or a key.

In this case, where the land does not appear above the water, it is not an island, a islet, a cay, or a key.  When the structure is between six fathoms or less under the surface of the water, it is a bar or a shoal.

Maybe it will become an island some day, but for now, in birth-speak, it is merely a zygote.

[anti politricks]

10:01 PM on 01/25/2011

watch out for bp lil island

[ecotopian]

11:01 AM on 01/25/2011

There was an island that was born in 1963 called Surtsey off the coast of Iceland. There is film of it as it was coming into being: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42H2znxGyhg And, unlike the one shown here, Surtsey is still there http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=4499

[p456]

11:58 AM on 01/25/2011

Your self promotion is the only lame thing here.

[A Guy In Texas]

03:32 AM on 01/25/2011

Formation of Surtsey makes for better video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42H2znxGyhg

[NVEnvy07]

03:26 AM on 01/25/2011

How misleading

[Aesop Russell]

03:23 AM on 01/25/2011

How can the earth be so lame? Belching baby killing CO2 into our air. Washing away our cities with rising seas and taking our years away. Disgusting! Couldn't she have considered a greener alternative?

[jcabowers]

09:58 PM on 01/24/2011

How much does beachfront property cost?

[m1jones]

09:49 PM on 01/24/2011

Headline inaccurate - the video says the island keeps trying but can't stay above the waves - so an island is not forming yet if ever. We are and will continue to lose many more atolls and islands because of global warming and rising oceans. Poor old Gaia just can't keep up.

[MysticInd]

01:52 AM on 01/25/2011

Yes, Gaia is stirring to no avail. But the hope from watching was worth it.

[Th3Harlequin]

08:37 PM on 01/24/2011

it's another oil leak

[JackTheSkipper]

08:16 PM on 01/24/2011

Why did they add the background music and F...up the the video? I want to hear the natural sound.

[m1jones]

09:53 PM on 01/24/2011

And why does the BBC insist uphiring those stentorian, pompous old men to say what is obvious while it happens in the photo plus some totally irrelevant bee-ess. Why not hire an attractive young geologist - say from Australia or the US who actually knows something about volcanos and island formation. Or, why not have a vulcanologist from Iceland talk about island formations? Iceland is constantly building inself up through volcanic action. This is a really interesting event. The BBC ought to be able to find a really well informed person to describe it and add to what we are seeing in the photos. Oh, and leave off the music - it's ridiculous.

[M Zahran Sallay]

11:53 PM on 01/24/2011

i would rather hear those "stentorian­, pompous old men" speak instead of some attractive airhead. if you really wanna see the beautiful people, the best idea would be to avoid nature documentaries altogether and instead head over to the entertainment related programmes section...

[rehkram]

12:28 AM on 01/25/2011

Oh sorry, an Australian or US media commentary instead of the Beeb's? Too funny. Admittedly "new island" is premature, like "Betelgeuse goes supernova, eventually" elsewhere on Huff. Pop science guys.

Go Solomon Islands, BTW, best diving I ever did. That would be a good dive if one was totally over confident like I was, probably still am given a good boat and skipper and a scooter with a fresh battery. I wanna see some underwater shots.

[jasonbentley]

08:15 PM on 01/24/2011

The planet is farting!