It would probably not be wrong to say “incredible” for the number of islands Japan has. There are so many islands in this country that when a recount was conducted in February this year, it was revealed that the country had approximately 14,125 islands, instead of the 6,852 islands previously thought. What is even more surprising is that this enormous number continues to increase due to volcanic activity.
On October 21, 2023, an underwater explosion occurred just off the coast of the island of Iwo Jima, shooting jets up to 50 meters into the air. The explosion, which caused rocks several meters in diameter to fly out, caused the emergence of a new island called “Niijima”, which means “new island”. This new island, made of volcanic ash and rocks, was photographed from space in late October and it was revealed how big it had become.
The island has been growing since its emergence and now measures 8.6 kilometers northeast-southwest and 5.6 kilometers northwest-southeast, the University of Tokyo reported.
In a press release made by the university, it was stated that “the explosions are estimated to have occurred in at least two places”: “the crater where the phreatomagmatic explosion occurred and the vent from which the rock masses forming the island were thrown.”
“The location of this explosion is almost the same as the explosion in 2022,” the statement said. According to experts, magma activity on Iwo Jima has restarted.
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