According to foreign media, a new small island has been born due to the eruption of volcanoes that occurred at the bottom of the sea three weeks ago off Japan. However, scientists say that this new island will not last.
The new crater is located about 1 km off the south coast of Iwo Jima, Japan. The series of related explosions started last October 21. Due to that explosion, volcanic ash and rocks piled up on the shallow sea floor, and the tip of it reached the surface of the ocean, creating this island.
As of last week, it had become a new island measuring 100 meters (328 feet) in diameter and 20 meters (66 feet) above sea level, said Yuji Usui, an analyst with the Japan Meteorological Agency’s volcanology division.
The formation of new islands due to undersea volcanic and seismic activity has also been reported before. In 2013, an eruption at Nishinoshima in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo led to the formation of a new island, which grew during a decade of volcanic eruptions.
Also, in 2013, a small island emerged from the seabed after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan. In 2015, a month-long eruption of a submarine volcano off the coast of Tonga resulted in the emergence of a new island.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 111 of the world’s 1,500 active volcanoes are located in Japan, which lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
Source: ABC News