During the first few days of the creation of Surtsey, the eruptions were not explosive; instead they consisted of a more gentle lava flow. But as soon as the volcano approached sea level, the water pressure decreased and the volcanic activity in the ocean became explosive. This extreme activity brought volcanic ash clouds separate electrical charges just like vapor clouds, therefore there were many lightning storms in the area during the creation of the island. These episodic explosive eruptions ended on June 5, 1967.
It was no big surprise that the Island of Surtsey formed from a volcanic eruption, because Iceland had also been formed from volcanic eruptions. Surtsey is now about 1.5 kilometers in diameter with an area of 2.8 sq. kilometers. The creation of Surtsey is only one of many volcanic islands. We never know when another volcano may erupt creating a new island, like that of Surtsey.
The island of Surtsey is located on the mid-Atlantic Ridge. There were no disasters as a result of the volcanic eruption. Surtsey island would fall under a volcano/plate tectonics in the aspect of earth science.
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