After a volcanic eruption, Japan suddenly has a new island

Japan consists of more than 6,800 islands – and one more has now been added. A new island has risen from the sea off the coast of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) told US broadcaster CNN that the island was formed by an eruption of an underwater volcano. It now has a diameter of about two kilometers.

On November 1, 2023, the rise from the sea was photographed by the Japanese naval unit. In the photos you can see a small eruption – a dark cloud of ash rises above it. The island is now part of the Ogasawara Island chain, but is not given its own name.

According to the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute, the volcanic eruption that led to the formation of the new island occurred on October 30, 2023. A former professor of volcanology at the University of Tokyo, Setsuya Nakada, told the Japan Times that the magma was already expanding had accumulated underwater for a while before finally breaking through the surface.

When magma comes into contact with water, so-called phreatomagmatic explosions occur. A mixture of ash, gases and rock particles is catapulted into the air.

The newly formed island is located about 750 miles south of mainland Japan and one mile from Iwo Jima. This island is known for the fierce and expensive fighting in the Second World War: more than 7,000 Americans and 22,000 Japanese soldiers died.