Australian scientists believe that they now understand how a reddish, dog-sized carnivore could have wound up on the Falkland Islands, 285 miles from the nearest mainland, some 16,000 years ago.

The mystery surrounding the origin of a wolflike predator that once lived near Antarctica a puzzle that stumped even Charles Darwin has now been solved, researchers say.

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Theextinct carnivoreapparently made its way to islands hundreds of miles from the nearest continent by crossing the frozen sea thousands of years ago, scientists explained.

The reddish coyote-sized Falkland Islands wolf was the only mammal native to theFalkland Islandsfar off the east coast of Argentina. The foxlike predator lived on seals, penguins and sea birds until hunters exterminated it in 1876.

The existence of the Falklands wolf perplexed Darwin when he first encountered it in 1834. "How did this great big carnivore arrive to a set of islands 460 kilometers (285 miles) from the nearest mainland when no other terrestrial mammal did?" asked researcher Alan Cooper, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia. "If it came by a land bridge, then the islands should've been covered with rodents as well, since South America is rodent central."

"It was incredibly tame it swam out to meet sailors, wagging its tail," Cooper told LiveScience. "That led to suggestions that it was a semi-domesticated dog that Native Americans took out while hunting, explaining how it got to the Falklands when there were no other mammals there." [Gallery: Photos Reveal Amazing Wolves]

However, past analysis ofDNA from museum specimensof the Falklands wolf, including one that Darwin collected, revealed it was not a dog after all. Instead, its nearest living ancestor was the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) from the South American savannas, an odd predator resembling a red fox with almost stiltlike legs.

To help solve the mystery of how the Falklands wolf colonized the islands, Cooper and his colleagues compared its DNA with remains of what seemed like its closest extinct mainland relative,Dusicyon avus. This carnivore is similar to the Falklands wolf, save for smaller teeth and jaws.

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How did those wolves get to the Falkland Islands ? Scientists may have an answer.

ISLANDS OF LORETO, BAJA, Calif. andSUR, Mexico, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto, the newest member of Villa Group Resorts and Baja's first "million-star" resort, today announced an "every third night free" package from Alaska Airlines Vacations, meaning a six-night stay will earn guests two free nights at the resort. And, with Alaska Airlines increasing its flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Loreto to be daily departures starting February 24, 2013, this deal is even better.

Travelers looking to experience the remarkable beauty, exhilarating adventure and authentic culture of Loreto also can enjoy a free upgrade to a one-bedroom suite at Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto with any stay six nights or longer.

Guests of the resort stay in unparalleled luxury, which makes it easy to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the property and the stunning Sea of Cortez. Each room has stylishly contemporary dcor and includes a private balcony with uninterrupted views of The Bay of Loreto, a kitchenette where guests can cook up their catch of the day, and plenty of space to unwind and soak up the unspoiled beauty of the region.

"We are thrilled that Alaska Airlines Vacations is offering guests this incredible package in time for spring visits," said Owen Perry, owner and president of Villa Group. "We look forward to having new and returning travelers experience everything we have to offer."

The Islands of Loreto, located on the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula on the Sea of Cortez, is known for its quiet beaches, scenic vistas, rich history and astounding natural habitats. The region caters to adventurous travelers looking to explore the many outdoor opportunities including snorkeling, hiking, fishing, diving and mountain biking, as well as people looking for a getaway where they can enjoy the beauty and authentic culture of the region without the commotion of heavily-trafficked Mexican destinations. The destination is fast becoming an alternative for travelers looking for a slower pace with all the options and amenities they have come to expect from a vacation in Mexico.

To take advantage of the Alaska Airlines Vacations offer, guests must book by April 8, 2013 and travel before December 19, 2013. Details can be found at http://www.alaskaair.com/content/deals/vacations/mexico-nights.aspx?INT=AS_DEALS-VAC1_||20130208_ASV_MX||

For more information about Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto, visit http://www.villadelpalmarloreto.com/ or call 866.209.0726 from the U.S. or 855.440.5590 from Canada.

ABOUT VILLA DEL PALMAR Baja's First Million Star Resort Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto is a self-contained destination resort on the Sea of Cortez, off the eastern coast of the Baja peninsula overlooking Danzante Island (one of five in the region). It features 181 new, spacious, beautifully appointed Deluxe Ocean View, one, two and three bedroom Suites with balcony or terrace, stunning ocean views, mountain views, outstanding restaurants, an attentive English-speaking staff, five swimming pools, a 39,000 square feet Spa, two tennis courts , beautiful beaches and a mild and warm climate year-round. The New York Times lists Loreto in its Top Ten Places to go in 2011. The travel article featuring The Islands of Loreto, Baja California South, Mexico ranked first among readers.

Guests can enjoy scuba and snorkeling tours in the protected Marine Park within the five prominent Loreto Islands, horseback riding, swimming, world-class fishing (catch a Dorado and bring it home to have a Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto chef prepare it for you), paddle boarding, kayaking, whale watching and mountain biking. With complimentary shuttle service, guests can explore the historic town at the Islands of Loreto and visit the 1697 mission that made the town famous. The area is also known for its wildlife, including the 900 species of fish off the coast and in an area that has been declared a World Heritage Site. Hotel perks include a spa and fitness center, massages, salsa dance lessons and movie nights for children.

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Alaska Airlines Vacations Offering "Every Third Night Free" Package at Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto

Solomon Islands serious about green economy transition

Honiara, Solomon Islands, 7 March 2013 - Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo is convinced that vital economic sectors in Solomon Islands should move to a green economy approach.

Following the first Roundtable on Development, Society and Environment PM Lilo believes all stakeholders will create innovative partnerships and ownership of programs and projects.

This dialogue has enabled us to focus on long term policies, strategies and programs and facilitate dialogues for stakeholders to monitor their application in Solomon Islands. PM Lilo said while closing the Roundtable on Wednesday afternoon in Honiara.

As a result of all our efforts, I am sure that we will see signs of sustainable development in all these sectors, PM Lilo added.

The three day discussions focused on developments in forestry, fisheries, education, tourism and the mineral resources sector.

PM Lilo accepted the recommendations made in the Roundtable discussions, including: Engaging more with stakeholders including communities other than the public and private sectors;

1. Weak or absence of sound policies, legislation and regulations; 2. The need for enforcement of policies, legislation and regulations; 3. More consultation with landowning groups for easy identification of land and agreement on land usage; 4. The importance of a better understanding of the investment issues in certain locations of major projects, to create conducive investment climates; 5. Greater coordination when designing, implementing and monitoring national projects.

The Roundtable expressed that the country has to shift to a Green Economy model. The Green Economy model abides by at least four principles: (i) maintains and enhances human relationships, (ii) lifts the community and the individual, (iii) is based on equity and fairness, and (iv) enhances the integrity of ecosystems and life-support systems.

The Roundtable also agreed to establish a Green Economy Platform that will take the lead in guiding this process of transition.

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Solomon Islands serious about green economy transition

A painting of a Falkland Islands wolf. Credit: Michael Rothman, Ace Coinage Inc./University of Adelaide

Published: March. 5, 2013 at 3:14 PM

ADELAIDE, Australia, March 5 (UPI) -- Australian researchers say DNA has helped understand the history of the now-extinct Falkland Islands wolf, the only land-based mammal on the isolated islands.

Previous theories have suggested the wolf somehow rafted on ice or vegetation, or crossed via a now-submerged land bridge or was even semi-domesticated and transported by early South American humans to the Falklands, 285 miles from the nearest land, Argentina.

Researchers from the University's Australian Center for Ancient DNA extracted tiny pieces of tissue from the skull of a specimen collected by Charles Darwin when he encountered the famously tame species in 1834.

Their findings suggested that the Falkland Islands wolf became isolated from its South American mainland relatives only about 16,000 years ago, around the peak of the last glacial period.

The absence of other mammals on the Falklands argued against any land bridge connection to the mainland, researches said.

"The Eureka moment was finding evidence of submarine terraces off the coast of Argentina," study leader Alan Cooper said. "They recorded the dramatically lowered sea levels during the Last Glacial Maximum [around 25,000-18,000 years ago]."

"At that time, there was a shallow and narrow [around 12 miles] strait between the islands and the mainland, allowing the Falkland Islands wolf to cross when the sea was frozen over, probably while pursuing marine prey like seals or penguins. Other small mammals like rats weren't able to cross the ice."

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DNA helps explain Falkland Islands wolves

CaliVita Success Seminar 2014 - Canary Islands
Join the outstanding CaliVIta managers in the Canary paradise!

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CaliVita Success Seminar 2014 - Canary Islands - Video

DOWN IN THE ISLANDS ( Western Partner Dance )
WESTERN PARTNER DANCE " DOWN IN THE ISLANDS " choreographed by JoAnn Andy Cardoza, danced to " Island Song " sung by The Zac Brown Band. If you have enjoyed watching our video and would like to see some more videos of Western Dance, download the dance script, then please visit us at alan-and-sonia.webs.com

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DOWN IN THE ISLANDS ( Western Partner Dance ) - Video

Islands in the SCREAM - Rolly Parton
Goat parody of Islands in the Stream - Dolly Parton Kenny Rogers. Made by Lisa Childs, for the VOTE ROLLY PARTON FOR PRESIDENT campaign at #electionscsu.

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Islands in the SCREAM - Rolly Parton - Video

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION UNIT

Media Release 04-03-13-Gh

Solomons Islands To Establish Mission In New Zealand

The Solomon Islands Government will establish a Diplomatic Mission in New Zealand later this year.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Hon. Clay Forau confirmed the initiative during bilateral talks with his New Zealand counterpart Hon. Murray McCully in New Zealand Friday last week.

The proposed Diplomatic Mission in New Zealand will elevate and advance Solomon Islands bilateral relations and contact with New Zealand to make way for more high level contacts with the New Zealand Government.

The Mission is also vital to explore and provide relevant advice to the Solomon Islands Government on Trade and Investment opportunities, education and training opportunities as well as provision of consular services to Solomon Islands citizens and nationals in New Zealand.

New Zealand Foreign Minister, Hon Murray McCully welcomed the Solomon Islands Government intention to establish its Diplomatic Mission there and pledged his Governments strong support to assist in whatever way it can to help Solomon Islands establish its office in New Zealand.

New Zealand is an important bilateral partner for Solomon Islands and our diplomatic presence in New Zealand will help strengthen and advance our bilateral relations, Hon Forau explained.

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Solomons Islands To Establish Mission In New Zealand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dialogue On Development, Society And Environment Opens In Solomon Islands

Honiara, Solomon Islands, 4 March 2013 (IUCN) The Prime Ministers High Level Roundtable on Development, Society and Environment, opened this morning in Honiara, Solomon Islands, with representatives of government, the private sector and civil society present to discuss important development issues with the hope of agreeing on a development model that incorporates the needs of society and the environment and also considers the long-term needs of the country.

The Dialogue was officially opened by the Honorable Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo.

Prime Minister Lilo indicated that the challenges being faced by Solomon Islands are huge, a result of small populations geographically dispersed over a large ocean. Thus the responsibility for these needs to be shouldered jointly by government, the private sector and civil society in a concerted effort. He said that the lack of policies in the past has resulted in the resource extractive industry having a free rein at the detriment of the environment and society as a whole. Therefore there needs to be a sustainable approach for the management of Solomon Islands fisheries, mining and forestry sectors. Prime Minister Lilo said that this necessitates a serious dialogue on the issues a dialogue among Solomon Islanders to agree on a better model for development.

Prime Minister Lilos speech was followed by an intervention by Mr Taholo Kami, Regional Director of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Oceania Office.

Mr Kami referred to the unique natural resources of Solomon Islands and the threats posed by logging, overfishing, mining and development of this unique environment and suggested the need for extraordinary measures as we recognise that the ordinary ones are failing us.

He said that sustainable development is about changing mindsets and required a rethinking of development models to bring people into a new long-term partnership. He suggested that the dialogue needs to identify key changes or consider and discuss new mechanisms that will ensure that in a commodity dependent economy, extraction carries on but with it the country also gets big environment wins and big social benefits.

The Monday morning session focussed on the state of development in Solomon Islands with the Governor of the Central Bank providing an overview of the state of the economy. Also speaking at this session was Dr Philip Tagini who explored the opportunities open to the Solomon Islands to rethink its development model and Mr Peter Forau, the Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), presented the MSGs perspective of a Green Growth agenda.

The afternoon session will focus on the mining sector. Mr Poul Engberg-Pedersen, the Deputy Director General of IUCN, will be the keynote speaker for this session and will explore the possibilities of building a partnership between mining and environment interests for achieving the countrys development goals.

The session will also include contributions by the mining sector, including from Mr Rence Sore, Permanent Secretary of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification and from the Gold Ridge and Sumitomo Mines, as well as inputs from the landowners and the Attorney General.

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Solomon Islands - Development, Society, Environment

Alaminos in Pangasinan is riddled with utterly captivating forest green coral islands hugged by cerulean waters, which for the most part, are blissfully deserted. Comprised of 123 sun-kissed islets that houses varied wildlife, the Hundred Islands is the poster boy of the province.

In 2008, it graced the cover of the 501 Must-Visit Islands book published in the United Kingdom. The same year, the book Bird watching in the Philippines was launched at the World Travel Mart in Great Britain and the Hundred Islands is on the list of the 13 best bird watching sites in the country.

Out of the 123 islands, only three have been developed; Governors Island, Quezon Island and Childrens Island. The Governors Island is home to the Pinoy Big Brother House (Teen Edition), a former hit reality TV show. It has a viewing deck offering a scenic view of several islands threaded with azure and teal green waters. From this famed island, you can also wade through the waters to get to a small islet called Virgin Island. Quezon and Childrens Island are the perfect spot for swimming.

The lesser known Shell Island is hugged by cream sands and a shallow lagoon fringed by rock formations. Marcos Island is a favorite spot for cliff jumping because of its stunning underwater cave with emerald green waters. As their name suggests, Monkey Island is inhabited by monkeys while Bat Islands is inhabited by bats, but the Turtle Island however doesnt have turtle residents but is shaped like this timid animal. Cuenco Island has splendid twin beaches and Cuenco Cave is sandwiched in the middle, and the Old Scout Islands is a perfect spot for lazing by the beach as well as Lopez Islands.

Getting to Alaminos, Pangasinan

To get to Hundred Islands, you can ride a bus bound to Alaminos, Pangasinan. From Manila, air-conditioned bus fare wont exceed Php 400. It may take up to 3-4 hours to reach Alaminos and from there, you can charter a tricycle to take you to the jump off point which is Lucas Wharf. But if you want to save a few bucks, head to the Lucas Terminal where you can ride a tricycle for Php 15, but it will only leave once full ( at least 4 passengers is needed).

Fare: Php 800 (estimated roundtrip bus fare) + Php 30 tricycle (round trip /regular fare) = Php 830

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Budget Travel: Hundred Islands National Park

Boys Soccer: El Rancho 3, Channel Islands 2 El Rancho Holds Off Gritty Channel Islands ...

DOWNEY They know the drill all too well.

Accept the runner-up plaque, grab a medal and watch the other team celebrate with T-shirts and smiles.

For the second straight season and third time in five years, the Channel Islands High boys soccer team lost in the CIF-Southern Section championship game.

Top-seeded El Rancho held off a late charge by Channel Islands to defeat the Raiders 3-2 in the Division 3 final on Saturday afternoon at Warren High.

The Raiders (15-7-5) nearly pulled of an unlikely run from a wild-card entrant to a CIF-SS champion, but were left with the same familiar empty feeling.

All three of their title-game losses have been by a one-goal margin.

Its so close that you can almost feel it and then you dont have it at the end, Channel Islands head coach Rogelio Juarez said. They are still hungry, but we are going to have to wait until next year.

El Rancho (26-2-1) was just as experienced as Channel Islands in title games. The Dons were making their third straight appearance, winning the title in 2011 and losing in last years Division 4 final.

Senior midfielder Luis Juarez scored both goals for Channel Islands in the second half as the Raiders frantically played catch-up after trailing 2-0.

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Boys Soccer: Channel Islands comes up short in championship match again

Mallory Moye Ross Philips - Islands in The Stream
I just love this part in "Hart Of Dixie" when both Mallory Moye Ross Philips sing this song. I hope they both record the full song! Download Season 2 "Hart of Dixie" here - itunes.apple.com

By: micoman1

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Mallory Moye

The Islands of Sinbad / ZX Spectrum Text Adventure
A play-through of the ZX Spectrum text adventure "The Islands of Sinbad" by Jack Lockerby Used Terri Sheeran #39;s solution as a reference guide. Includes a section in the middle where I fall prey to one of the many annoying random elements in the game. Apologies for the multiple ramloads. Part of the ZX Spectrum Text Adventures playlist: http://www.youtube.com Click the link for more text adventures.

By: StridentUK

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The Islands of Sinbad / ZX Spectrum Text Adventure - Video

By ELIZABETH BEHRMAN | Tribune staff Published: February 28, 2013 Updated: February 28, 2013 - 12:00 AM

When Kim Fatica moved to Davis Islands from Ohio in 2009, he was eager to build up his independently owned marketing business.

He immediately sought to take advantage of resources available through the Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce. He wanted the networking, support and government representation offered by the chamber.

But when he reached out to the chamber, he didn't get the help he needed. He said he couldn't get in touch with anyone, and the chamber's website and social media pages were inadequate.

"I was frustrated," Fatica said. "I wanted to register my business with the chamber and get some of those benefits. So when I couldn't find those, I decided to strike out on my own."

Fatica planned to start his own organization dedicated to helping Davis Islands businesses. Then he learned two other local businesspeople restaurant owner Mark Newkirk and real estate broker Cary Collier were doing the same thing.

They recently combined efforts, and the Davis Islands Alliance was born.

The group's first meeting was held Monday at Fountain Square, Newkirk's restaurant on Davis Boulevard. More than 50 people came, Fatica said, though fliers announcing the get-together went out only three days earlier.

The new group aims to help neighborhood businesses connect with each other and to promote their services beyond the island community south of downtown Tampa. Alliance members want to take on beautification projects and take steps to attract more visitors to the island's shops and restaurants.

"We knew it was time to take action and do it ourselves," Newkirk said.

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Alliance forms to promote Davis Islands' offerings

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will meet his counterpart from the Solomon Islands, Foreign Minister Clay Forau, for official talks tomorrow.

"The Solomon Islands is important to New Zealand. We have a major aid and development programme there and have been one of the founding contributors to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI)," Mr McCully says.

"This July marks the 10th anniversary of RAMSI and 10 successful years of contributing to the security and stability of the Solomon Islands. RAMSI is now transitioning from a military operation to a policing mission.

"As RAMSI draws down, our support to the Solomons will increasingly focus on economic growth through the development of critical infrastructure, fisheries, business, education, policing, and law and justice."

Mr McCully and Mr Forau will discuss the strengthening of economic ties, the Recognised Employer Scheme and how New Zealand can further assist the Solomon Islands recover from the recent tsunami and earthquake that hit the west coast of Santa Cruz Island.

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McCully welcomes Solomon Islands counterpart

At least six people have been killed by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake that jolted the Solomon Islands.

The earthquake caused small tsunami waves to lap Pacific coastlines and emergency sirens to blare evacuation warnings.

Solomons officials reported two waves hit the western side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging about 50 homes and properties, said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister.

Australia's earthquake monitoring agency and the Pacific centre said the biggest tsunami wave measured was 91cm high, at Lata, on the main Santa Cruz island of Ndende.

Many villagers had moved to higher ground as a precaution, Herming said.

Vanuatu and New Caledonia also reported rising sea levels before a region-wide tsunami alert was lifted.

Sirens were heard in Fiji. 'Chaos in the streets of Suva as everyone tries to avoid the tsunami!!' tweeted Ratu Nemani Tebana from the Fiji capital Suva.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled its regional alert at 1450 AEDT, about two and a half hours after the quake struck.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit the Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu province, which have been rocked by a series of strong tremors over the past week, at a shallow depth of 5.8 kilometres.

Temotu is the easternmost province of the Solomons, about a three-hour flight from the capital, Honiara. The region has a population of about 30,000.

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Solomon Islands quake kills six

From strange floating rocks to collapsing cones, an underwater eruption near Spain's Canary Islands last year was a rare chance for scientists to watch how volcanic islands are built.

El Hierro volcano spewed "a modest quantity" of lava into the ocean only enough to fill 120,000 swimming pools, according to a new report. But monitoring the submarine eruption was crucial, because shallow water volcanism can become explosive and endanger human life, said Miquel Canals Artigas, a geologist at the University of Barcelona in Spain.

Between October 2011 and February 2012, Artigas and his colleagues sailed the turbid, ash-filled waters above the erupting El Hierro volcano, scanning its changing shape with sonar to create high-resolution bathymetric maps. Their findings are detailed in the March 2013 issue of the journal Geology.

Birth of a volcano

El Hierro, the youngest of the Canary Islands, lies 290 miles (460 kilometers) west of the coast of Morocco and the Western Sahara.The new eruption occurred just off the island's coast, near the fishing village of La Restinga. The underwater eruption closed fisheries on the island and forced residents to temporarily evacuate.

The cone-shaped underwater volcano was already more than 490 feet (150 meters) tall and growing ever closer to the ocean surface when the ship arrived two weeks after the eruption began on Oct. 10, 2011.

"It was very exciting to be able to follow how the volcanic cone was growing up, from more than 350 meters [1,150 feet] depth [below the ocean's surface] to barely 90 meters [295 feet]," Artigas told OurAmazingPlanet in an email interview. The survey found more than 200 similar cones on the island's underwater flanks. [50 Amazing Volcano Facts]

The cone deflated or collapsed repeatedly during the ongoing eruption, the researchers found. By Nov. 13, 2011, a second cone-style vent opened, but landslides morphed the cones into a fissure eruption, with at least four vents burbling lava by Feb. 24, 2012.

Lava balloons

Odd-looking floating rocks, which geologists deem "bombs," appeared in the waters above the volcano. The rocks had a white core filled with air bubbles called vesicles and a dark-colored rim of basanite rock, a different rock type than the core. While balloons of floating lava have been found at underwater eruptions before, these "restingolites" are new and scientists are hotly debating how they formed, Hans-Ulrich Schmincke, a geologist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany, wrote in an article accompanying the El Hierro research in the journal Geology.

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Underwater Eruption Shows How Volcanic Islands Grow

From strange floating rocks to collapsing cones, an underwater eruption near Spain's Canary Islands last year was a rare chance for scientists to watch how volcanic islands are built.

El Hierro volcano spewed "a modest quantity" of lava into the ocean only enough to fill 120,000 swimming pools, according to a new report. But monitoring the submarine eruption was crucial, because shallow water volcanism can become explosive and endanger human life, said Miquel Canals Artigas, a geologist at the University of Barcelona in Spain.

Between October 2011 and February 2012, Artigas and his colleagues sailed the turbid, ash-filled waters above the erupting El Hierro volcano, scanning its changing shape with sonar to create high-resolution bathymetric maps. Their findings are detailed in the March 2013 issue of the journal Geology.

Birth of a volcano

El Hierro, the youngest of the Canary Islands, lies 290 miles (460 kilometers) west of the coast of Morocco and the Western Sahara.The new eruption occurred just off the island's coast, near the fishing village of La Restinga. The underwater eruption closed fisheries on the island and forced residents to temporarily evacuate.

The cone-shaped underwater volcano was already more than 490 feet (150 meters) tall and growing ever closer to the ocean surface when the ship arrived two weeks after the eruption began on Oct. 10, 2011.

"It was very exciting to be able to follow how the volcanic cone was growing up, from more than 350 meters [1,150 feet] depth [below the ocean's surface] to barely 90 meters [295 feet]," Artigas told OurAmazingPlanet in an email interview. The survey found more than 200 similar cones on the island's underwater flanks. [50 Amazing Volcano Facts]

The cone deflated or collapsed repeatedly during the ongoing eruption, the researchers found. By Nov. 13, 2011, a second cone-style vent opened, but landslides morphed the cones into a fissure eruption, with at least four vents burbling lava by Feb. 24, 2012.

Lava balloons

Odd-looking floating rocks, which geologists deem "bombs," appeared in the waters above the volcano. The rocks had a white core filled with air bubbles called vesicles and a dark-colored rim of basanite rock, a different rock type than the core. While balloons of floating lava have been found at underwater eruptions before, these "restingolites" are new and scientists are hotly debating how they formed, Hans-Ulrich Schmincke, a geologist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany, wrote in an article accompanying the El Hierro research in the journal Geology.

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Underwater Eruption Shoes How Volcanic Islands Grow

Medes Islands L #39;Estartit: Meet Mr. Grouper!
Funny situation at the beginning of the dive...

By: Ruben Omez

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Medes Islands L'Estartit: Meet Mr. Grouper! - Video

Stunning view of the islands while landing in Mal (Republic of Maldives)
15 minutes before landing in Mal with Qatar Airways

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Stunning view of the islands while landing in Malè (Republic of Maldives) - Video