A new island created by the ongoing eruption off the coast of Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands is expanding and approaching Iwo Jima, according to images taken by NHK from the sky. The experts who accompanied him pointed out that "the accumulation of ejecta and erosion by waves are competing, causing an interesting phenomenon that changes the shape of the island in a short time."
At Iwo Jima, an eruption occurred just south of the island in late October, and at one point, an ash plume containing black sediment was confirmed to rise about 10 meters above the sea surface, and a new island of up to 200 meters was formed due to the ejected rocks.
On the 450th, NHK filmed the activity off the coast of Iwo Jima from the sky, and eruptions occurred at intervals of several minutes from the crater below the sea surface, and black plumes rose to a height of about 4 meters.
In October, the land was round, but it was deformed into a long and thin north-south shape, extending to a length of more than 100 meters and forming a shape like the letter "J", and it was confirmed that the tip reached about 10 meters offshore from Iwo Jima.
The surface of the new island was covered with brown volcanic ash and cinders, and the surrounding sea turned green and brown, and pumice was floating and flowing.
Fukaku Maeno, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo who specializes in volcanology, who accompanied the photographer on the shoot, commented on volcanic activity, saying, "The crater, which was just above the surface of the sea a few weeks ago, has eroded and sunk below the surface of the sea, spewing volcanic gases and hot water. Compared to a month ago, eruptions appear to be less frequent and less vigorous. On the offshore side of the island, erosion by waves is progressing, while on the Iwo Jima side, where the water depth is shallow and the tide is weak, rocks and other materials are steadily accumulating. Erosion and sedimentation are competing, and the shape of the island changes in a short period of time, which is an interesting phenomenon."
Regarding future activities, he said that there are no signs that it will lead to a large-scale eruption at this time, but that "the eruption is continuing and the island is growing, albeit weakly, and if it continues in the future, there is a possibility that it will be connected to Iwo Jima."