A mysterious island appeared in the Caspian Sea in early 2023 and is now disappearing again. Two NASA satellites captured the island vanishing between 2023 and 2024.
The island is on the tip of the Kumani bank mud volcano off Azerbaijan. It pops up randomly when the volcano erupts and can last about two years before sinking.
In 2023, the island surfaced quietly, surprising scientists. Geophysicist Mark Tingay noticed the island on satellite images. In 2025, NASA chose a picture of the island as its image of the day.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time the Kumani island has appeared unnoticed. In 1993, another island formed but wasn’t reported.
Tingay finds it amazing how an island can emerge so close to the coast without anyone noticing in today’s connected world.
Vocabulary List:
- Mysterious /mɪˈstɪr.i.əs/ (adjective): Difficult or impossible to understand explain or identify.
- Appeared /əˈpɪr/ (verb): To come into sight; become visible or noticeable.
- Disappearing /ˌdɪs.əˈpɪr.ɪŋ/ (verb): To cease to be visible; vanish.
- Surprising /sərˈpraɪ.zɪŋ/ (adjective): Causing surprise; unexpected.
- Emerge /ɪˈmɜrdʒ/ (verb): To come into view or become noticeable.
- Noticed /ˈnoʊ.tɪst/ (verb): To become aware of something to observe.
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