Volcanic eruption creates new island off Japanese coast
A once-hidden Japanese volcano is rising up out of the Pacific Ocean.
Roughly
1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Tokyo lies the island of Nishinoshima, a volcanic island that was first
seen erupting in 1973. This piece of rock is the tip of a much larger underwater volcano, one
that is about 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) high and perhaps 94 kilometers (58.4
miles) in circumference at its base.
In November 2013, explosive volcanic
activity was observed to the southeast of
the island; huge lava outflows were seen
rising up to the surface of the ocean, and
within a month the new island rose 25
meters (82 feet) above sea level.
After observing the island’s birth, the
authors of this new study have revealed
that its formation occurred in two main
stages. The first involved the sudden
release of hot, broiling lava into the
shallow, cold water. An envelope of steam
rapidly formed along the margins of the
lava, before explosively expanding into
the water and dramatically propelling
glassy molten blobs high into the air.