LOS ANGELES, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The continuous eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano created a tiny new island off the coast, which shortly disappeared, officials said Monday.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the island about 20 to 30 feet in diameter was formed by lava and appeared just a few meters off shore from the northern edge of the Big Island. A Hawaii Volcano Observatory crew found it during a flight on Friday.
The continuous eruption of the volcano produced lava, which was pushed by underwater pressure to flow to the surface, the USGS said.
However, the tiny island disappeared shortly after its formation. "It's now no longer an 'island' thanks to the lava that's rejoined it with the flow front on land," said the USGS on its Twitter on Monday.
As one of the youngest and most active volcanoes in the world, the Kilauea Volcano has been erupting nearly continuously since early May. A lava bomb from the volcano struck an ocean tour boat on Monday, injuring 23 people.