The pumice debris is from an underwater volcanic eruption earlier this month near Tonga, The New York Times reported, and it's heading toward Australia.
A raft of rock, the size of 20,000 football fields is floating towards Queensland. The pumice was created when an underwater volcano erupted off Tonga. Scientists say it'll bring millions of new coral to the Great Barrier Reef. @ErinEdwards7 @QUT #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/W7pKdowYw2
— 7NEWS Gold Coast (@7NewsGoldCoast) August 24, 2019
There’s a Huge Floating Field Of Pumice In The Pacific https://t.co/oK5mdeRdkC pic.twitter.com/qlXvXU5zMy
— Not Leaving (@notleavingever) August 31, 2019
Sea creatures like crabs and corals are thought to flourish under the floating rock. Researchers said if it reaches the Great Barrier Reef, it could help restore the reef's lost marine life and coral, half of which has been lost to climate change in recent years, according to CNN.
The huge sheet of floating pumice was first noticed in early August by sailors who described the chunks of rock as ranging "from marble to basketball size," CNN reported.
Such events are not that rare. Scientists said they happen every few years and are rarely observed by humans.
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