Giant Pumice Floating in the Pacific Ocean

Pumice Stone.  
(Picture from:http://presurfer.blogspot.com/)

Giant pumice stone was floating in the waters of the South Pacific. "Its size is staggering, reaching 482 kilometers in length and width of more than 48 kilometers," said a spokeswoman for the New Zealand Navy.

Ship Royal New Zealand Air Force was the first to find a collection of pumice the size larger than the state of Israel. The officer saw a collection of stones that float in the southwest of Raoul Island.

Lt. Tim Oscar of Australia Navy's described the giant pumice as the weirdest thing in the ocean. "The strangest thing I've ever seen in 18 years at sea," he told Australian Associated Press on August 13, 2012.

On Aug. 9, the HMNZS Canterbury, a Royal New Zealand Air Force ship, observed a stretch of floating pumice, measuring a whopping 300 miles (482 kilometers) in length and more than 30 miles (48 km) wide. (Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

Oscar said it seemed to float pumice two feet above the ocean waves when seen from a distance. "The color is bright white and looked on, like the edge of an iceberg," said the officer who witnessed the apparition of pumice.

Pumice stones are formed when lava from a volcano cools rapidly. Gas trapped in the lava creates pores in the rocks, which allows floating on the water surface.

Recent research suggests pumice play an important role in the evolution of life on Earth. This giant pumice stone can cross the ocean while transporting animals, plants across the wide waters. *** [LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 3970]

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