Example+1

=**An Island is Born** = **Iceland** **Gives Birth to Baby Surtsey!**



On November 14, 1963 a new island was born off the coast of **Iceland**. The new Island is named **Surtsey**, after the Scandinavian fire god, Surtur. Like its parent country, Iceland, Surtsey was created by underwater volcanic activity, due to its location on the [|Mid-Atlantic Ridge], an area with frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.

A Crack in the Crust
Iceland is an island country in the [|North Atlantic Ocean].

It is located on the front lines of the battle between pieces of the Earth's crust that move around and cause earthquakes and [|volcanoes].

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a **crack in the Earth's surface** under the North Atlantic Ocean **where the Eurasian and North American [|plates slide apart] **.The Ridge includes a deep **rift valley**, where magma from Earth's mantle seeps up and erupts from the seafloor as lava. That lava hardens into new crust on top of the two diverging plates. The plates move apart along the Mid- Atlantic Ridge an average of about 1 inch per year (2.5 centimeters per year), or 15.5 miles (25 km) in a million years, according to the United States Geological Survey ("Understanding Plate Motions").

**That's about how fast your fingernails grow! That means** **Iceland is growing at the same rate as your fingernails!**

=**Primary Succession on Surtsey** =

Life on Surtsey
The birth of a brand new island lets scientists study how plants and animals **colonize** new land. This process is called **PRIMARY SUCCESSION**, and follows a predictable pattern as one **community** of plants and animals replaces another. Each community changes the ecosystem in some way, and that makes it possible for new species to arrive and thrive.

Today only a small number of scientists are allowed on Surtsey; the only way anyone else can see it closely is from a small plane. This allows the natural [|ecological succession] for the island to proceed without being changed by human influence.

=Timeline of Succession =

Stage 1: Pioneer Species
The first organisms to colonize new land are called **pioneer species**. On Surtsey, the island's shore was first colonized by bacteria, molds, seaweeds and green algae. After three years, mosses took hold on the lava. They were followed by lichens five years later. Mosses and lichens now cover much of the island. During the island's first 20 years, 20 species of plants were observed at one time or another, but only 10 survived in the nutrient-poor sandy soil.

Stage 2: Grasses and Sedges
As the pioneer species of bacteria, mosses and lichens died and decomposed, they helped create fertile soil, which provided a place to grow for the next species to arrive. Next came seeds, either carried by the wind or else airlifted by seabirds, which produced a scattering of grasses and sedges.

Stage 3: A Home for Wayward Birds and Seals
 In 1970, three years after the eruptions ended, [|fulmar] and black [|guillemot] birds started nesting in cliffs on the western side of the island. Surtsey has since become a stopping point for migratory birds, such as geese and swans. Birds use plants for nesting material, but also help spread seeds, and fertilize the soil with their [|guano] (Thorton). Twelve species of birds are now regularly found on the island (Petersen).  ===Seals, which live in the surrounding waters, have also been seen basking on the island. The presence of seals attracts <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0645ad; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px; text-decoration: none;">[|orcas], which are frequently seen in the waters around the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago and now frequent the waters around Surtsey.===

Stage 4: Shrubs and Bushes
As birds began nesting on the island, soil conditions improved, and more plant species were able to survive. In 1998, the first [|bush] was found on the island – a tea-leaved [|willow], which can grow up to 13 ft tall. As of 2008, 69 species of plant have been found on Surtsey, of which about 30 have become established (Blask). This compares to the approximately 490 species found on mainland Iceland (Blask). More species continue to arrive, at a typical rate of roughly 2–5 new species per year ( Aabech).

Final Stage: Climax Community
====If Surtsey continues to evolve it may one day grow up to look just like its parent, Iceland. After a few million years, Iceland reached the final stage of its succession. While about 3/4 of the island is frozen tundra or without ANY vegetation, the rest of the island is a combination of grassland and young forests of small trees including Northern Birch (//<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0645ad; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px; text-decoration: none;">[|Betula pubescens] //), Aspen (//<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0645ad; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px; text-decoration: none;">[|Populus tremula] //), Rowan (//<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0645ad; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px; text-decoration: none;">[|Sorbus aucuparia] //) and Common Juniper (//<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0645ad; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px; text-decoration: none;">[|Juniperus communis] //), and other smaller trees. **This stage is called a 'climax community'.**====



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**Good luck Surtsey! Just a few million years to go!**

Works Cited Aabech, Jorgen S. “The volcano island: Surtsey, Iceland: Plants .” Our Beautiful World. N.p., 8 July 2008. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.vulkaner.no/n/surtsey/esurtplant.html>.

Blask, Sarah. “Iceland’s new island is an exclusive club for scientists only.” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2008. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2008/1024/iceland-s-new-island-is-an-exclusive-club-for-scientists-only>.

Petersen, Ævar. “Bird Life.” Bird Life on Surtsey. The Surtsey Research Society, 6 May 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.surtsey.is/pp_ens/biola_5.htm>.

Thorton, Ian, and Tim New. Island Colonization: The Origin and Development of Island Communities. N.p.: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Wikipedia. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtsey>.

“Understanding Plate Motions.” The Dynamic Earth, The Story of Plate Tectonics. USGS, 5 Nov. 1999. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html>.