See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

Volcanic islands can seem to appear out of nowhere, emerging from the ocean like breaching monsters of the deep. Below, Mika McKinnon explains how these odd geological formations are born, how they evolve, and how they eventually vanish back beneath the waves.

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

Where an island is along this developmental continuum says much about the human populations that may inhabit said island.  If the island is tall and young with rich volcanic soil, the mountain will attract rainfall and the soil could support agriculture, making the island able to sustain a higher population density.  On the other hand, an old, eroding island with little rainfall and depleted soils will need human inhabitants to rely on the ocean’s resources for food and would thus support a more minimal population.  These islands are changing, even if the time scale is slow–but just recently two disconnected islands ‘merged’ as growing volcanic island has expanded in the Pacific.

Tags: Oceania, physical, geomorphology, landforms.

See on space.io9.com