Japan: New Crescent-shaped island forms after volcanic eruption | See pictures

An underwater volcanic eruption near the Japanese archipelago has created a new, crescent-shaped island 745 miles south of Tokyo. Niijima, which translates to ‘new island’ and has a diameter of 0.6 miles or one km, has emerged following the eruption of a submarine volcano called Fukutoku-Okanoba. The volcano, which first came into notice in 1904, erupted on 13th August, eventually creating the landmass 50 km south of Minami Ioto.

It was two days later that the Japanese Coast Guards caught sight of the newly formed, crescent-shaped island. Photographs that have surfaced online show the landmass amidst the pacific ocean. Researchers believe that novel landmass is likely to be temporary. While ash and other fragments are unlikely to resist ocean waves, if lava flow continues, it could eventually form a more durable hard shell.

According to the observation from the sky conducted by the Japan Coast Guard [on August 15], active eruptive activity is still continuing in Fukutoku-Okanoba, where the submarine eruption started on 13th August ,' said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

According to a report by a Japanese newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun, the volcanic eruption was observed by the Japanese coast guard initially from the air and was later discovered by them. The Japanese archipelago spans across a total of 6,852 islands covering 3,77,975 square kilometres, however with this new inclusion the figures may soon change. The Japanese coast guard has informed that the new island is crescent-shaped and has a diameter of about 1km. 

Japan Meteorological Agency calls attention to nearby vessels 

On Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency had released a statement stating that the submarine volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba had continued erupting with an explosion spotted last week, on Friday. The Agency has released a statement calling attention to nearby vessels to keep a check on pumice stones and other material that were flowing up to 60km in the northwest direction while volcanic bombs and horizontal eruptions were affecting the water surrounding the volcano. It also informed that active eruption is expected to continue as a huge amount of smoke and large ash deposits in the surrounding water. 

(Image: GeoIGN_/Twitter)