Manhattan-sized horde of floating rocks travels across the ocean

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Somewhere beneath the waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean, likely around the island of Tonga, a volcano recently erupted. The proof lies in a sprawling raft of extremely lightweight volcanic rock called pumice, which is so porous that it floats. NASA posted satellite images of the drifting mass on Aug. 23, though the geologic display was first spotted in mid-August. 

“Many of the world’s volcanoes are shrouded by the waters of the oceans,” wrote NASA. “When they erupt, they can discolor the ocean surface with gases and debris. They also can spew masses of lava that are lighter than water.” Read more…

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