Pacific pop-up: island that rose from the ashes might last 30 years

Tongan volcanic island unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was initially only expected to stay above sea level for a matter of months

A new Tongan island formed from the ash of a 2014 volcanic eruption in the South Pacific could exist for decades, according to a study released by Nasa.

The ash island, unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, formed during a submarine volcanic eruption that lasted from late December 2014 to early January 2015. The new land mass, which has a 120m summit, was originally only predicted to last months.