What Is the Fate of Volcanic Pumice Rafts?

The streamers of pumice (likely each less than a few kilometers across) from the July 18, 2012 eruption of Havre seamount spreading across the Pacific Ocean. The pumice has spread over an area of over 250,00 square kilometers in a little over one month. Image taken August 19, 2012, courtesy of NASA and R. Simmon. The NASA Earth Observatory has been doing an excellent job tracking the spread of the pumice from the Havre eruption in the Kermadec Islands. Currently the pumice is spread over an area of 270,000 km^2 / 100,000 sq. miles of the Pacific Ocean and is continuing to spread (see above). This pumice will likely stay afloat for months if not longer and eventually make landfall wherever the currents dictate - potentially as far off as South America. Pumice rafts are not particularly uncommon (see map below), especially in areas of abundant submarine volcanism like the ...