The landscape is changing off the southern coast of Japan. A small island is forming in the region, the result of the activity of an underwater volcano that began erupting on October 21 less than a kilometer from the island of Iwo Jima.
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Underwater volcano
- According to Japanese authorities, no damage was caused by the eruption and no one was injured.
- The phenomenon occurs near an island where the armed forces of the United States and Japan fought a major battle for control of the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
- According to the US Geological Survey, there are about 1,350 potentially active land volcanoes worldwide.
- Thousands of active “underwater” volcanoes have also been discovered, and scientists believe many more may be hidden beneath the water.
- Information comes from The New York Times.
Rare geological phenomenon
Underwater volcanic eruptions can create islands, and this has happened in Earth’s history. The territory of Hawaii is an example. However, most of the time it is not possible to observe these eruptions because they are hidden deep in the oceans.
The current eruption off Iwo Jima has been increasing for weeks and reached its peak on Friday (03) and Saturday (04). According to the latest measurement from the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute, the new island has a diameter of about 100 meters.
Another small island formed in a similar manner in 2013 in the same region of Japan, near the Nishinoshima volcano. This outbreak lasted a decade.
In the most recent case, it is impossible to say how long the volcanic activity will last. And even the development of the outbreak fascinates experts. They claim that more time is needed to find out what is actually happening and what the future of the island will look like: will it continue to grow or will it sink and disappear again? Only time will answer these questions.
Check out the island created by the eruption: