A fresh island emerged off the coast of Japan a few days ago, following an underwater explosion that happened late last month. This event brought new land to the Pacific, reshaping the seafloor into a visible island.
The new land lies near Iōtō, formerly known as Iwo Jima, part of the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo.
The island formed after an underwater volcano erupted. A discreet incident began on October 21. Reports indicate that by October 30, magma had reached the surface, creating new land. This account is attributed to Japan Times.
Earlier on, observers described a black vertical jet of debris and seawater shooting upward. Since November 3, the eruption intensified, producing explosive ash emissions that continued to reshape the area.
According to Nakada, the lava accumulating on the surface could ensure the island persists for a very long time.
New islands commonly form in oceans around the world when undersea volcanic activity pushes molten material upward, which seawater rapidly cools and solidifies. The resulting mass may protrude above the surface and become a present landmark.
Another case occurred in the same region two years ago.
This scenario echoed what happened in August 2021 when a new island appeared near Iōtō due to the eruption of Fukutoku-Okanoba, an underwater volcano in the same vicinity.
Japan sits along a global belt of intense volcanism, part of a ring of fire that encircles the Pacific. The region stretches roughly 40,000 kilometers and hosts a large portion of the world’s active volcanoes since ancient times.
In this zone, many tectonic plate boundaries converge, contributing to about 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and a significant share of volcanic activity recorded to date. These geological factors help explain why Japan has so many islands. As of 2023, the official count listed thousands of candidates, but a census update earlier this year suggested the total could be much higher, possibly surpassing 14,000 islands.
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