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This island is only five weeks old. In October, the spot in the Pacific, 1200 kilometers south of Tokyo, looked like this:
For a few weeks now, an underwater volcano has been ejecting lava off the Iwoto archipelago, which used to be called Iwo Jima. As a result, the small island of stones and ash has formed – and has even grown by about 50 meters in the last two weeks, to about 450 by 200 meters in size, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.
These shots show the spectacle.
It is still unclear whether the island will remain. It could also disappear again, as its porous rock could be eroded by the waves. At the moment, discoloration continues to be observed in the nearby waters, which is why local authorities are warning ships of volcanic activity.
Japan is home to seven percent of the world's active volcanoes, according to the meteorological agency. The reason: The island nation is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. A region where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur particularly frequently.