Surtsey Final By primaryscience Nov 21, 1963 Underwater eruptions started forming Surtsey Feb 21, 1964 Insects arrive by flying, floating, drifting materials, May 21, 1964 First insect discovered Feb 21, 1965 Sea roclet found Feb 21, 1967 First mosses found Feb 21, 1967 Eruptions forming Surtsey finish Feb 21, 1967 Birds first landed on Surtsey Feb 21, 1967 Sea lyme grass, sea sandwort and oyster plant established themselves Feb 21, 1967 Sea rocket flowered Feb 21, 1968 Six species of moss discovered Feb 21, 1968 Sea sandwort survived winter - first plant to do so Feb 21, 1970 First nesting birds - black guillemot and fulmar Feb 21, 1970 Lichens found Feb 21, 1971 Sea sandwort first seeded Feb 21, 1977 Sea lyme grass and Oyster plant start seeding Feb 21, 1983 Conditions barren and soil quality poor Feb 21, 1985 Establishment of gull colony Feb 21, 1988 Soil fertility improved Feb 21, 1990 Number of breeding pairs of gulls risen to 200 Feb 21, 1990 6 species of birds breeding Feb 21, 1990 Number orf plant species grew from 21 to 44 Feb 21, 1993 First earthworms found in soil Feb 21, 2002 Invertebrates found in Surtsey Ants, bees, butterflies, snails, true flies, beetles, spiders and segmented worms Feb 21, 2003 53 species of mosses found Feb 21, 2003 11 breeding species of bird foun d in census Feb 21, 2006 76 invertebrate speices found Feb 21, 2008 Surtsey World Heritage Listed