WLW: UC geologist explains giant floating rock in Pacific
Thomas Algeo tells "Eddie and Rocky" the pumice island will disappear over time
"Eddie and Rocky" on 700-WLW spoke to University of Cincinnati geologist Thomas Algeo about the discovery this month of a giant island of rock floating in the Pacific Ocean off Australia.
A couple sailing in the South Pacific reported finding an island of pumice the size of Manhattan floating off Tonga, according to CNN.
Algeo, a professor of geology in UC's McMicken College of Art and Sciences, said the island was formed from a volcanic eruption deep underwater.
"The rock floats because it's full of air bubbles," Algeo told show hosts Eddie Fingers and Rocky Boiman. "The air bubbles form in the lava. A pumice rock can consist of up to 90 percent air bubbles. That allows it to float. It's actually less dense than water."
News accounts suggested the pumice island could help the imperiled Great Barrier Reef. But Algeo said any benefits would be short lived.
"It might have a very positive short-term influence," he said. "A lot of marine organisms can latch onto these pumice fragments. You might repopulate some corals in the Great Barrier Reef from pumice floating in. But the main stresses on the Great Barrier Reef are much greater than that."
Algeo said half of the reef has died because of recent warming of ocean currents.
As for the pumice island? Algeo said once the gas escapes from the rock, the pumice eventually will sink to the ocean floor.
Featured image at top: Lava from an eruption pours into the ocean. Photo/Buzz Andersen/Unsplash
Related Stories
Discovery in Action Showcase spotlights UC College of Arts and...
November 25, 2024
The University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences has hosted its first Discovery in Action Showcase, bringing together the wide range of disciplines under the A&S umbrella to show the community the hard work and research being done behind the scenes. Students, faculty, and researchers filled the TUC Great Hall with engaging poster presentations and immersive demonstrations displaying the diverse, creative work being done through the College of Arts and Sciences.
Icelandic volcano previously dormant for 800 years erupting again
November 22, 2024
UC geosciences Professor Thomas Algeo tells ABC News that the latest eruption of an Icelandic volcano created slow-moving lava flows that endanger parts of a coastal town.
Student filmmaker's animation movie 'The Wreckoning' debuts at...
Event: November 23, 2024 6:00 PM
Daniel Ruff's animation film "The Wreckoning" debuts at UC on Nov. 23. Ruff is among the first cohort of students to major in games and animation at UC.