Surtsey Island, Iceland
From series “Top 11 Dangerous Spots for Adrenaline-Seekers”Year: 1963.
In Iceland, there is also a place that is highly undesirable to visit. That’s the Surtsey island. It was formed quite recently, during the eruption of an underwater volcano in 1963. The site immediately caught the attention of scientists. For more than 50 years, it remains a place of scientific experiments and studies. The island is 2.7 square km. For scientists, it is a visual model of the appearance of the volcanic island and origin of the life on it.
Now, the scientists observe how the life is developed on the island. The first bacteria has colonized it in only a few hours after the onset of the volcanic pumice over the water. Access to the island is prohibited to unauthorized persons, although it doesn’t show a direct threat to life and health. Casual visitors can jeopardize the purity of one of the most important experiments in the history of the mankind. Continuing their research, scientists expect to shed light on the theory of the origin of life on Earth, which still hides many mysteries.
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Surtsey Island - interactive map
Useful staff nearby
ATM bankomat: 'Íslandsbanki' located in 22 km (
check the route on the map).
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