Surtsey, sixteen days after the onset of the eruption
Map of Surtsey
Surtsey
Location of Surtsey in Iceland
Geography
Location
Atlantic Ocean
Archipelago
Vestmannaeyjar
Area
1.4 km2 (0.54 sq mi)
Highest elevation
155 m (509 ft)
Administration
Iceland
Additional information
Official website
surtsey.is
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria
Natural: ix
Reference
1267
Inscription
2008 (32nd Session)
Area
3,370 ha
Buffer zone
3,190 ha
Surtsey ("Surtr's island" in Icelandic, Icelandic pronunciation:[ˈsʏr̥(t)sˌeiː]ⓘ) is an uninhabited volcanic island located in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland. At 63°18′11″N20°36′18″W / 63.303°N 20.605°W / 63.303; -20.605 Surtsey is the southernmost point of Iceland.[1] It was formed in a volcanic eruption which began 130 metres (430 feet) below sea level, and reached the surface on 14 November 1963. The eruption lasted until 5 June 1967, when the island reached its maximum size of 2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi). Since then, wave erosion has caused the island to steadily diminish in size: as of 2012[update], its surface area was 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi).[2] The most recent survey (2007) shows the island's maximum elevation at 155 m (509 ft) above sea level.[3]
The new island was named after Surtr, a fire jötunn or giant from Norse mythology.[4] It was intensively studied by volcanologists during its eruption, and afterwards by botanists and other biologists as life forms gradually colonised the originally barren island. The undersea vents that produced Surtsey are part of the Vestmannaeyjar submarine volcanic system, part of the fissure of the sea floor called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Vestmannaeyjar also produced the famous eruption of Eldfell on the island of Heimaey in 1973. The eruption that created Surtsey also created a few other small islands along this volcanic chain, such as Jólnir and other, unnamed peaks. Most of these eroded away fairly quickly. It is estimated that Surtsey will remain above sea level until at least the year 2100.
^"A visit to the Surtsey Visitor Centre allows you to travel back in time". Icelandmag. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
^Surtsey Island 50 Percent Original Size, Iceland Review online, 13 August 2013
^Vésteinsson, Árni (2009), "Surveying and charting the Surtsey area from 1964 to 2007", Surtsey Research Progress Report XII: 52 (Figure 11), retrieved 15 August 2014
^Time-Life books, ed. (1986), Folk och länder, Norden, Höganäs: Bokorama, p. 38, ISBN 978-91-7024-256-4
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