Questions 31-36
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
How surtsey was formed
In 1963 the activity from an underwater 31 ………………………… started to form an island.
Fishermen saw 32 ……………………….. coming up out of the sea
What scientists found in the early days
The first plant life was a type 33 ………………………………..
The first sign of the life found by scientist was a fly.
Scientists were surprised by the widespread growth of 34 ………………………………….. Later findings In the 1960s, birds bought seed to the island
In the 1970s, 35 …………………………… were probably carried to the island.
The first green vegetation- marchantia formed a thick 36 ……………………………….. in surtsey Contrast:
Surtsey- an island only 39 years old. The 37 …………………………. where obtained as early as
5 years after the eruption! However, 38 ……………………… observation suggest that volcano is very energetic. Climate and future:
The enormous waves of winter 39 ……………………………
An assessment assuming that the island will survive for many 40 …………………………..
Keys
volcano
smoke
flower
grass
bacteria
carpet
fossils
radio
storm
century
Transcript
You will hear a part of the lecture about Tsutsi, a new island.
Tsutsi Island, located on the southern coast of Iceland. The island was formed from below the sea surface due to eruptions of a volcano. The process was recorded in 1963.
Fishing vessels’ crew aborted a trolling ceiling. Their Iceland spotted a column of smoke rising from Tsutsi’s surface. The ship’s captain thought it might be a boat on fire and turned his vessel to investigate. What they found was an island being born.
The eruption ultimately lasted three and a half years, ending in June 1967. The birth of this new landform wasn’t the end of Tsutsi’s story.
In the spring of 1965, only a few scientists were permitted to land on Tsutsi. The only way anyone else can see it closely is from a small plane. This allows natural ecological succession for this island to proceed without outside interference.
The first higher plant discovered at the shoreline was a flower called Sea Rocket. Flies arrived on Tsutsi soon after its formation and were first detected in 1964. They are carried to this island by winds and their own power.
Scientists were also shocked that a large area was covered by a wide ground grass in 1974. Scientists took half of it for analysis and discovered 663 plant species.
In the 1960s, regular bird observations were maintained on Tsutsi. These were directed primarily at staging migrants in spring and autumn. Their importance in carrying pioneering plant seeds to this island is a new investigation.
A year after the eruption started, the number of bacteria species increased rapidly to 35 until about the 1970s, then leveled off and has increased slowly since, with the number of species fluctuating around 40 to 50 species recorded on each sampling occasion in the 1990s.
The same survey was repeated the following year, now also including the registration of habitat choice and habitat abundance for each species. In 1971, 36 species were also found, of which 20 were new to the island, including the first delivered word species.
For the first time, scientists found a green vegetation called Matinsa, which formed a thick carpet in the westernmost part of the largest crater.
You are never too old to learn, it is said, but you must admit that some kinds of information sound more like a joke, like the findings of fossils on Tsutsi. An island only 39 years old, the fossils were obtained as early as five years after the eruption.
Radio observations suggest that very energetic particles produced by the eruption are still active. The volcanic ash samples collected from locations by scientists also indicate this island is still in the process of new formation.
Tsutsi is situated in a region of extremes in winter weather and wave climate. The violent explosions caused by the meeting of lava and sea water meant that this island consisted of a loose pile of volcanic rock, affected by storms during the winter.
Wave data near Tsutsi have been recorded by the maritime administration since 1998. This island is unlikely to disappear entirely in the near future. Investigations assuming that the rate of erosion will be slow suggest that this island will last for at least many centuries.
Human impact is limited to a small hut which is used by researchers while staying on this island.
