An exceptional satellite image taken by the European Pléiades satellite from 19 January shows the new island that formed during the eruption near Hunga Ha’apai island (left in images) earlier this month and joined it by forming a new peninsula, composed of a broad, flat ash cone with a water-filled crater. The image also shows that activity seems to have already stopped by 19 Jan when the image was taken. Most likely, the new land addition will be eroded within months, because it seems mainly to be composed of loose materials, as opposed to more resistant solid lava flows. [more]

A new island is now growing at the eruption site between Hunga Ha’apai and Hunga Tonga Islands. As of yesterday, it had an east-west elongated 1.5-2 km long and approx. 1 km wide shape with a half-open cone around the crater reaching almost 100 m in height already. ... [more]