WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A volcanic eruption in Tonga has created a new island — although one scientist said Wednesday it could soon disappear. 
 
 CORRECTS SOURCE - In this photo, taken Jan. 14, 2015 and released by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a volcano erupts near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean. A volcano that has been... (Associated Press) 
 
 CORRECTS SOURCE - In this photo, taken Jan. 14, 2015 and released by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a volcano erupts near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean. A volcano that has been... (Associated Press) 
 
 The volcano has been erupting for a month in the ocean about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Nuku'alofa. Last week it disrupted international air travel to the Pacific archipelago for several days. 
 
 New Zealand volcanologist Nico Fournier said he traveled by boat to within about a mile of the new island on Saturday to take a closer look. 
 
 He said it's made mainly of loose scoria and its dimensions are about 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) by 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles), and that it rises about 100 meters (109 yards) above the sea. 
 
 "It's quite an exciting site, you get to see the birth of an island," he said. "Visually it was quite spectacular, but there was no big sound coming with it, no boom. It was a bit eerie." 
 
 He said that once the volcano stops erupting, it will likely take the ocean no more than a few months to erode the island entirely. He said it would need to be made of lava or something more durable to survive. 
 
 Fournier, who works for New Zealand agency GNS Science, said he was able to establish that the volcano was mainly belching steam into the atmosphere, and that the small amount of ash it was sending out was rising no more than about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). 
 
 That will come as a relief to airlines, as it is the ash that can be dangerous to planes. 
 
 Fournier said the ocean around the island is likely fairly shallow, perhaps only about 100-200 meters (328-656 feet) deep. He said there is no name yet for the new island, and he has been told that any naming rights will fall to Tonga's king. ||||| Volcanic eruption creates new island in Tonga 
 
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 Digital Reporter Cheryl Santa Maria 
 
 Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 2:28 PM - A volcano that began erupting last month in Tonga has created a large new island, officials announced Friday. 
 
 The volcano is located 65 kilometres northwest of the nation's capital. According to the Land and National Resource Ministry, the volcano has been quiet for the past five years. 
 
 It began rumbling on December 20. 
 
 Officials say the volcano is erupting from two vents. One is spewing ash and rock onto the uninhabited island Hunga Ha'apai while the other is underwater, about 100 metres offshore. 
 
 Ministry officials toured the area last Thursday and confirmed the presence of a new island. 
 
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 "The new island is more than one kilometer ... wide, two kilometers ... long and about 100 meters... high," the ministry writes in a statement. 
 
 "During our observations the volcano was erupting about every five minutes to a height of about 400 meters ... accompanied by some large rocks... as the ash is very wet, most is being deposited close to the vent, building up the new island." 
 
 Foliage near the volcano appears to be dying off, likely due to ash and gases in the atmosphere. 
 
 Tonga is located some 2,000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. It is situated on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', an area known for frequent seismic activity.
– Mother Earth has given birth to new land. An island has formed in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where a volcano has been erupting since Dec. 20. Tonga's Ministry of Lands, Survey, and Natural Resources tells the Weather Network the volcano is erupting from two vents. One is spewing ash and rock onto an uninhabited island; the other is underwater. An expert who came within a mile of the new island, 40 miles northwest of the capital, says it's roughly a square mile in size. But as it's made of loose scoria—a dark volcanic rock—he says it should erode away within a few months once the volcano quiets, the AP reports. If it were formed from lava, it might be more durable. Still, "it's quite an exciting site, you get to see the birth of an island," the expert says. Ministry officials say rocks are being thrown some 1,300 feet into the air, while the volcano is sending steam into the atmosphere. Bits of ash are now climbing about 6,000 feet, down from 30,000 feet last week. That means planes diverted from the area can now pass over safely. However, ash and acidic rain are still showering anything in a 6-mile radius, killing tree leaves on neighboring islands, ABC Australia reports. The volcano last erupted over five years ago.