Undersea volcano eruption produces entire new island off coast of Japan
A small island has popped up suddenly off the coast of Japan following the eruption of an undersea volcano.
Appearing near the Ogasawara island chain, the island is located around 745 miles south of Tokyo and half a mile off the coast of Iwo Jima.
Scientists warn the island, made from accumulated volcanic ash and rocks, may be washed away soon.
The newly created land mass has reached a diameter of around 330 feet and a height of about 66 feet above sea level.
The severity of the eruptions caused a change in the colour of the seawater, and floating pumice stones were noticed surrounding the newly formed island, he said.
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This new island’s appearance adds to Japan’s long history of active volcanic activity. With over a hundred active volcanoes, Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world.
An analyst in the Japan Meteorological Agency’s volcanic division told the Telegraph the island could soon crumble away into the sea.
Yuji Usui told the newspaper: “We just have to see the development, but the island may not last very long.”
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During World War II, Iwo Jima saw heavy fighting, and the site of the iconic photograph of the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi in February 1945.
Japan has 111 active volcanoes, with the majority of them located around the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The construction of new islands as a result of undersea volcanoes and seismic activity is not unusual.
A decade-long eruption in Nishinoshima in 2013, for example, resulted in the formation of a new island.
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