You might have heard of Hawaii and the islands in it's chain. Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Kaho Olawe, and Hawaii- the islands of Hawaii. But soon there will be another: Loihi. A hot spot has created the rest of the islands over a long period of time, and now after a long wait, a new island is forming. A hot spot is an unusually hot spot in the earths crust due to a thin piece of a tectonic plate or crust.

    With this hot spot, magma eventually burns through the crust and usually into a body of water. When the magma cools, it becomes rock. When enough rock forms onto the piece of land, it peaks over the water and becomes un-submerged. This is what we call an island.

    Now, if what I just explained is confusing, it´s ok, because you don´t really need to know that to know why Hawaiian Islands aren´t growing on top of each other. The earths crust is moving towards Japan, and the change is quite noticeable. The smallest Hawaiian Island and the furthest away from the new one is getting smaller because it is the oldest of them and is sinking back underwater. But it was made at that same hot spot, the one where the new island is being made. The earths crust has moved it that far.

    That same island will be gone soon, when it fully sinks underwater. This happens quite frequently in Micronesia and Polynesia, but it is also now happening with Hawaii. There is nothing to worry though-the island will still be there for an estimated 125 more years.

    This new island popping up sounds really rare, but it´s not-keep your eye out on the news or here on the PFMS newspaper for articles on other Hawaiian Islands popping up. More are to come, and quite soon.