Surtsey was created by a volcanic eruption that began south of Iceland in 1963.
The eruption started on 14 November 1963 beneath the sea and continued until 1967. Lava and ash built a new island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, about 32 kilometres south of Iceland's mainland. Surtsey reached an area of roughly 2.7 square kilometres at its largest extent.
Scientists protected Surtsey from ordinary human visitation so they could observe how life colonises newly formed land. Seeds, insects, birds, and other organisms arrived naturally, making the island an important long-term ecological study site.
Surtsey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is sometimes called one of the world's youngest islands, but volcanic islands can continue changing through erosion and later eruptions. Nearby Heimaey, by contrast, is an older inhabited island in the same archipelago.