NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Late last month, an underwater eruption occurred off the coast of Japan, resulting in the appearance of a new volcanic island. This phenomenon is caused by the eruption of an unnamed underwater volcano that began on October 21.
The island, belching plumes of smoke and slowly growing in size, became visible from the coast of Ito (formerly Iwo Jima), part of the Ogasawara Islands, more than 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean.
Magma reached the sea surface by October 30 and began to accumulate, forming a new island. Vulcanology professor Setsuya Nakada from the University of Tokyo notes that the eruption is changing and the release of volcanic ash continues at an explosive rate.
“The areas that don’t have lava can be scraped away. So if more and more lava covers the area, this part will probably remain forever,” says Nakada.
Japan, located on the Ring of Fire, often witnesses volcanic activity. This region, which stretches 40,000 kilometers and contains two-thirds of the world‘s volcanoes, produces not only earthquakes but also new islands.
In August 2021, another island was created by the eruption of the undersea volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba, also near Ito Island.
Japan’s geological and geographic features, particularly its location at the intersection of many plate boundaries, create an unstable system responsible for much of the planet’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Before this year’s recount, the official number of Japanese islands was thought to be 6,852, but new data shows double the number – about 14,125 islands.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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