Surtsey Island 50 Percent Original Size (original) (raw)

According to researcher and geologist Sveinn Jakobsson, Surtsey island has shrunk by around 50 percent since the volcanic island surfaced during the eruption in 1963.

Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review.

Sveinn, who has followed the island’s development since the beginning, told visir.is before the Surtsey conference, which began at the Hilton hotel in Reykjavík today, that the island has shrunk from 2.65 km2 to 1.3 km2 since the eruption ended in June 1967.

According to Sveinn, the strong currents and waves are responsible for the erosion of the island.

The eruption, which started on November 14, 1963 and lasted until June 5, 1967, was the longest eruption to have taken place in Iceland since the country’s settlement in 874.

Surtsey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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