Pumice raft

A pumice raft is a floating group of pumice. Pumice is a very light rock made during some eruptions of submarine volcanoes or coastal subaerial volcanoes. Because it is light and full of holes, it can stay on the water's surface for a long time.

Pumice rafts have some special qualities. They have more surface area compared to their size than almost any other rock. This helps them float well and they often wash up on beaches. Scientists think these rafts may have helped life begin on Earth. Some experts believe they could have been a good place for the origin of life to start.

Biologists also think animals and plants may have used these floating rafts to move from one island to another. This could help explain how different kinds of creatures can live in places far from where they first started. Floating on these natural rafts might have been an important way for life to spread across the oceans.

Notable examples

Sandy Island, a non-existent island near New Caledonia, was reported long ago by a whaling ship and showed up on maps for years. Scientists think people may have seen floating pumice instead.

In recent years, big pumice rafts have been seen in many places. In 1979 and 1984, pumice rafts moved to Fiji from eruptions near Tonga. In 2006, people on a boat near Tonga saw bright, floating pumice and watched a new island form. In August 2012, a huge pumice raft was found near New Zealand, stretching for many miles. In 2019, another big pumice raft was seen in the Pacific Ocean near Late Island in the Kingdom of Tonga.