The volcanic island of Surtsey that started forming in the 1960s attracting worldwide scientific attention is nearest to what country?
Surtsey Surtsey Surtsey ("Surtr's island" in Icelandic, ) is a volcanic island located in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland. At , Surtsey is the southernmost point of Iceland. It was formed in a volcanic eruption which began below sea level, and reached the surface on 14 November 1963. The eruption lasted until 5 June 1967, when the island reached its maximum size of . Since then, wave erosion has caused the island to steadily diminish in size: , its surface area was . The most recent survey (2007) shows the island's maximum elevation at above sea level.
Surtsey The new island was named after "Surtr", a fire "jötunn" or giant from Norse mythology. It was intensively studied by volcanologists during its eruption, and afterwards by botanists and other biologists as life forms gradually colonised the originally barren island. The undersea vents that produced Surtsey are part of the "Vestmannaeyjar" submarine volcanic system, part of the fissure of the sea floor called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Vestmannaeyjar also produced the famous eruption of "Eldfell" on the island of Heimaey in 1973. The eruption that created Surtsey also created a few other small islands along this volcanic chain, such as "Jólnir"