Although we do not fully perceive it, our planet is always in constant motion, which allows events that remind us of how incredible nature is and give us the opportunity to live in a place where there is life and landscapes full of beauty. Recently, a new island emerged in Japan, as part of that dynamism in which we live.
Japan is made up of more than 6000 islands, and now there is another that can be integrated into its territory. Due to movements in the earth's plates due to the eruption of an underwater volcano, the island that was baptized as Nijima (New Island, in Japanese) emerged from the waters of the Pacific Ocean, about 50 kilometers south of Minami Ito, which belongs to the Ogasawara group of islands. This is something to get excited about, because something like this doesn't happen every day.
In this area is the Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano, whose record shows that in 1994 it was the first time it had an eruption, while the last occurred in 2010, until the one that occurred on August 13, 2021, in which Nijima emerged, which is a provisional name because it is not known if the island can remain on the surface. If it does, it will be given a definitive name.
The new island has a diameter of one kilometer and, according to specialists in Japan, it continues to grow. However, we have to wait because previously the eruptions of this volcano had already caused the emergence of three islands, but all of them ended up underwater. At the moment it is not possible to carry out further studies because seismic activity continues, and vertical eruptions of gas and ash are still being recorded, due to the interaction of magma with water.
The Coast Guard alerted the vessels that sail through this area since it is still possible to fall of material such as ash and rocks at a distance of up to 60 kilometers. In addition, in the area of the volcano, there are "violent eruptions" that can put the lives of the crew at risk. The volcano created other islands in 1904, 1914, and 1986, but they eventually disappeared due to water erosion.
For Nijima to remain "afloat" it is necessary for the eruption to be prolonged and for the material from which the outer layer is formed to be a stream of lava, as this is harder to solidify than ash and volcanic fragments, since the waves will erode them easily and it will eventually disappear. If it continues to grow, it would not be necessary for Japan to extend its territory or exclusive economic zone because it is so close to Minami Ito. We'll see what happens to this newborn island.
