Surtsey is the Icelandic volcanic island created by an eruption that began in 1963.
The eruption started beneath the sea about 20 kilometres south of Iceland’s mainland and first became visible on 14 November 1963. Explosive submarine activity built an island above sea level, followed by lava flows that helped protect the new land from rapid erosion. Eruptions continued intermittently until 1967.
Surtsey is more than a geographic curiosity. Because it began as bare volcanic rock, scientists have been able to observe how plants, insects, birds and other organisms colonise a new island. Human access is tightly restricted, which helps preserve the site for long-term ecological research.
Surtsey is part of the Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands, archipelago. It is sometimes confused with Heimaey, the inhabited island nearby that experienced a major eruption in 1973. Surtsey, however, is the island formed by the 1963–1967 submarine eruption.