In a rare event, A tiny new island erupted three weeks ago by the eruption of an undersea volcano on November 3, off the coast of Japan, but experts warn it might not live long.
The undersea volcano, known as Ioto in Japan, is situated about a kilometre (half a mile) off the southern coast of Iwo Jima. The nameless isle formed early this month when rocks and volcanic ash piled up from the sea floor due to the eruption of Ioto.
Early in November, Yuji Usui, an analyst at the volcanic division of the Japan Meteorological Agency, estimated that it had grown into a new island with a diameter of roughly 100 metres (328 feet) and a height of up to 20 metres (66 feet) above sea level.
Photo: The Japan Times
Since then, the site's volcanic activity has decreased, and according to Mr. Usui, the newly formed island has considerably reduced due to the waves' easy erosion of its "crumbly" formation. He mentioned that specialists are currently examining the development, down to the specifics of the deposits. If the new island is composed of lava or a more resilient material than volcanic materials like pumice, it may last longer. "We simply need to observe the progress," he uttered. "However, the island might not be here for long."
In the past, earthquake activity and underwater volcanoes have created new islands. A new island formed in 2013 as a result of an eruption at Nishinoshima in the Pacific Ocean, south of Tokyo, continued to develop during the volcano's ten-year outburst. A little island rose to the top of the ocean floor in 2013 following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan. A month-long underwater volcano eruption off the coast of Tonga in 2015 created a new island.
Japan, which is located in the so-called Pacific "ring of fire," is home to 111 of the world's approximately 1,500 active volcanoes, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Although there have been previous underwater eruptions and volcanic rumblings close to Iwo Jima, the creation of a new island is a noteworthy development, according to Mr. Usui
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