Powerful underwater volcano forms new island off the coast of Japan
globalnews.caAn underwater volcano is erupting so forcefully off the coast of Japan that it’s led to the formation of a new island.
The islet lies in the Ogasawara island chain more than 1,000 km south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, reports local news agency Asahi Shimbun.
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force’s air base on Iwoto Island (previously known as Iwo Jima Island, the site of a major Second World War battle) confirmed the emergence of the new island last week after personnel heard a loud explosion that sent sand and ash flying high into the air.
" Explosive eruptions off Iwoto island create a new islet in the Pacific!
Captured by Kazuhiro Ichikawa & Kotaro Ebara. Nature's raw power on display over 1,000 km south of Tokyo. Footage & details from The Asahi Shimbun: [https://t.co/Qoblk2TW5y] <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/Volcano?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#Volcano
<a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/IwotoIsland?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#IwotoIsland" pic.twitter.com/WIsXmqojTP
— Oliver Damasco Lubante Jr (@PreeminentUser) <a href=«https://twitter.com/PreeminentUser/status/1720986928106148257?ref_src=» https:>November 5, 2023
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has been detecting tremors on Iwoto Island regularly since mid-October. The agency says they’ve also detected the island rising in that time.
A JMA official told The Asahi Shimbun: “It is possible that a large amount of rocks and stones ejected from the crater on the seafloor accumulated and created the islet.”
This is far from the first time a volcano has formed a new island in the Ogasawara island chain. In 2013, a volcanic eruption raised an island in the seas, creating an islet about 200 metres in diameter.
However, this marks the first time magma has started
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