This is already an island building up around the vent as the volcanic tephra piles up.
2
While the tephra has gradually washed away over the years, the hard lava core has proved far more resilient.
3
They are constructed of loose piles of volcanic debris (tephra) and lava flows on relatively steep slopes.
4
It consisted of roughly two-thirds tephra (rock fragments thrown up during an eruption) and one-third rapidly cooling lava.
5
Vigorous eruptions of steam and tephra were accompanied by an enhancement of the normal fine-weather potential gradient, and lightning was often observed.