A Raft of Rocks

In August of 2019, a NASA satellite spotted an island that appeared out of nowhere.

Larger than Manhattan, the island is actually a huge raft of pumice (porous rocks) from an undersea volcanic eruption. A team that sailed into the raft days later reported being surrounded by rocks ranging in size from marbles to basketballs, so densely clustered that water wasn’t visible.

Pumice rafts like this can drift for months and play an important role in dispersing organisms around the ocean. This floating island is a startling reminder that after the intense volcanic activity following the flood, life might have spread to distant shores in ways we haven’t even considered.

This article was taken from Answers magazine, January–February, 2020, 20.