Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/AP
- An ongoing volcanic eruption has created a tiny island near Iwoto.
- The new island is about 328 feet (100 meters) in diameter, according to researchers.
- This is a rare phenomenon, but it may not last long, said one expert.
Japan has a new tiny island thanks to an ongoing eruption from an underwater volcano.
The 328-foot-wide island emerged in the Ogasawara Island chain, about half a mile from Iwoto (formerly known as Iwo Jima).
Volcano eruptions in the archipelago are not rare, but this one released so much magma that it managed to break the water's surface on October 31, Yuji Usui, an analyst in the Japan Meteorological Agency, told the Associated Press (AP).
It grew from there and by early November it was more than 300 feet wide and rose about 66 feet above the water, per the AP.
You can see footage of the eruption here.
The volcanic eruption provided quite the spectacle, releasing clouds of smoke and ash that towered up to 50 feet in the air every few minutes, The Guardian reported.
While many islands are born in the same way, including islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, it is rare to be able to see this happening in real time, per The New York Times.
Those who want to marvel at the rare sight should do so quickly, as the island may not last very long, Usui told the AP.
Volcanic activity has now subsided, and the material left behind has become "crumbly" making it vulnerable to oncoming waves, Usui said.
Similar volcanic islands appeared in the area in 1904, 1914, and 1986 but have all since been washed away, said Fukashi Maeno, an associate professor at Tokyo University's earthquake research institute, per The Guardian.