By Mari Yamaguchi - The Associated Press
An underwater volcano erupted off the coast of Japan three weeks ago, and the event provided a rare glimpse into the birth of a small island, but experts believe it may not last long.
The unnamed underwater volcano, located about a half-mile off the southern coast of Iwo Jima, which Japan calls Ioto, began its latest series of eruptions on Oct. 1.
Within 10 days, volcanic ash and rocks piled up on the shallow seafloor, and the tip of that hill rose above the sea surface. In early November, it became a new island about 100 meters in diameter and up to 20 meters above sea level, said Yuji Usui, an analyst with the Japan Meteorological Agency's volcanic division.
Vapor emerges in the waters off Ioto Island, in the Pacific Ocean city of Ogasawara, south of Tokyo, on Nov. 1, 2023. Associated Press
Volcanic activity has increased near Iwo Jima and similar underwater eruptions have occurred in recent years, but the formation of an island is a really significant fact, Usui said.
Since then, volcanic activity at the site has waned, and the newly formed island has shrunk a bit because its integrity "can fall apart" and easily destroyed by waves, Usui said.
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He added that experts are still analyzing the evolution of the volcano, including details of the deposits. The new island could survive longer if it were made of lava or something more durable than volcanic rocks, such as pumice.
"We just have to watch it develop," he said. "The island may not last long."
Submarine volcanoes and seismic activities have given rise to new islands in the past.
In 2013, an eruption at Nishinoshima in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo led to the formation of an island, which continued to grow during a decade of the volcano's eruption.
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Also in 2013, a small island emerged from the sea floor following a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Pakistan. In 2015, a new island was formed as a result of the eruption of an underwater volcano over a month off the coast of Tonga.
Of the world's 1,500 active volcanoes, 111 are located in Japan, a country that is located on the so-called Pacific "ring of fire," according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Iwo Jima was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II. The photograph taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal of the moment the U.S. flag is raised atop Mount Suribachi on the island on Feb. 23, 1945, came to symbolize the Pacific War and the courage of the U.S. Marines.