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New volcanic isle continues to expand

17 Comments

An isle created by undersea volcanic eruptions off Japan's Pacific coast last November has expanded by 4.5 times, according to the Japan Coast Guard and Maritime Safety Agency.

The length of the isle, named Nishinoshima, from east to west is now 1,150 meters and 850 meters north to south, adding 0.7 kilometer to the size of the isle, TBS reported Wednesday.

A new crater was found in the north part of the isle and smoke continues to come out of the other two craters as well. According to an expert, the island will continue to expand for a while as the magma continues to be active.

Nishinoshima is in the Ogasawara (Bonin) chain, some 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo. It was first spotted on Nov 20.

Similar eruptions in the early 1970s and mid-80s created tiny islets in Japan's territory that have since been partially or completely eaten up by the ocean.

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17 Comments
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How long till China 'finds' ancient documents that prove that this island rose previously, and used to be owned by China?

18 ( +21 / -3 )

I love this.

Like watching someone grow up.

Go, go Nishinoshima!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Maybe the newly connected Nishinoshima won't disappear under the waves like others. I remember my dad telling me that new isles disappeared previously. I also remember seeing a slightly yellowish (?) colored sea water not far from Welcome Rock on Chi Chi Jima. I was thinking that the megma must be fairly close to the ocean floor.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

@psychopathsareincontrol: Not necessarily. It is 1,150 metres at its widest and 850 at its longest, but the rest of the island's specific dimensions aren't listed. It's probably quite narrow in places (haven't seen the island myself so I can't be certain), hence the "wonky" figure.

Quite liking the name Nishinoshima. Got a good ring to it. Let's hope the island continues to grow, and stays for good. I've said before that volcanic islands are great for farming. Volcanic ash is very fertile, so crops would grow well. Magma can also spew out valuable minerals as well. Plenty of opportunities to make the most of Nishinoshima while it lasts. Volcanic islands are really interesting, but some are short lived. Others are kind of like a Jack-in-a-box, occasionally sinking and resurfacing depending on volcanic activity. Who knows what the future holds for Nishinoshima? Other than China claiming sovereignty I mean.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@Spoony - Indeed. lol.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Boy the creativity that went into naming this new rock is numbing.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

SpoonyMar. 27, 2014 - 08:46AM JST How long till China 'finds' ancient documents that prove that this island rose previously, and used to be owned by China?

I am sure that they will provide a wet ink "ancient" map that proves that the new island has always been theirs.

Next, they will try to land a fishing vessel on this hot island.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Here, there is a photo and a little more expanded explanation of the island. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001158945

By the way the "wonky" area of 0.7 sq km are not so "wonky".... as the article states that in the widest points to North-South (1150 meter) and West-East (850 meters), this does not mean the island is a perfect square.... but even if it was the total area will be around 978 sq meters (or 0.978 sp km). Since the island shape is irregular (I don't know how often nature create a perfect shaped thing) the area of 0.7 sq km seems alright.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

When did it get it's name and who was on that naming committee? Should've been / Could've been a fun national contest.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Any sightings of Chinese flags on the island yet?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Reckon China will claim it! Haha.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

China has claimed it...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm just surprised that a kaiju hasn't hauled itself out of one of the craters yet... certainly sounds like the plot from a Toho monster movie: mysterious island erupts from the sea!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

When something comes up something must go down. Which will it be? Tokyo and The Diet?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

from east to west is now 1,150 meters and 850 meters north to south which makes the whole isle roughly 0.7 square kilometers in area

is someone's math a little wonky?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

It's either a math problem (incorrect calculation) or a wording problem (declaring the size is based on the numbers given). Either way it's not great writing.

As for the name, I thought it uncreative. But I was even more surprised that there wasn't already an island with the given name.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

If it gets big enough, then we can just give those other islands to China and S. Korea.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

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