Approximately 32 kilometres off the coast of Iceland, an uninhabited volcanic island has slowly become a wildlife haven. But this island is particularly unusual – as it rose dramatically from the sea in the 1960s.
In November 1963, volcanic eruptions were spotted in the Atlantic Ocean. A ridge began to form. A day later, the ridge was 40 metres high. Two months later, the island was more than a kilometre long.
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The resulting island was named Surtsey, after Surtur – the fire god from Icelandic mythology. Iceland’s government placed Surtsey under formal protection in 1965, with access to the island highly restricted.
Since its formation, Surtsey has been providing researchers with invaluable information on how plant and animal life colonises new land. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, with UNESCO describing it as a “pristine natural laboratory”.
How big is Surtsey?
Surtsey has naturally eroded over time. At its largest, it measured 2.5 square kilometres in area and reached elevations of 171 meters above sea level.
But now its area measures just 1.4 square kilometres and its elevation is 154 metres above sea level. UNESCO predicts that coastal erosion will remove a further two thirds of the island.
The entire island and a surrounding marine area is protected, with a small marine buffer zone beyond this. It’s prohibited for unapproved persons to go ashore or dive by the island – and scientists must not introduce organisms to the island, including seeds.
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Surtsey wildlife
Surtsey is home to 89 bird species, 335 species of invertebrates and 24 fungi species.
Moulds, bacteria and fungi soon appeared on the island and scientists recorded the first vascular plant in 1965. By the end of the first decade, there were 10 species of vascular plant. By 2004, there were 60.
A study, published in 2025, found that most of the vascular plant species on Surtsey lack any traits traditionally associated with long-distance dispersal (such as having fleshy fruits or attractive colours that encourages animals to eat them).
Instead, they discovered that gulls, geese and shorebirds played a major role in bringing seeds to the island in their guts or droppings.
“Birds turned out to be the true pioneers of Surtsey – carrying seeds of plants that, according to conventional theories, shouldn’t be able to get there,” said Pawel Wasowicz, one of the study’s authors, from the Natural Science Institute of Iceland.
Surtsey has become a haul out and breeding site for grey and harbour seals, which has attracted orcas to the area.
Top image: plants colonising volcanic tephra on Surtsey. Credit: Pawel Wasowicz
