Japan is made up of 6,852 official islands, which is likely more than you might have thought. But that number has increased by one this week - at least for the meantime. The eruption of the underwater volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba is responsible for this discovery.
The New Island
The new landmass is situated around 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of Tokyo, close to Iwo Jima island. The island made its first appearance on the13th of August, but it wasn't not until two days later that the Japanese coast guard picked up the island's entrance into the world.
It was reported that plumes of steam and gas were rising more than 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) into the sky. For adduce, that's just about the highest point on how high planes can fly before they begin to get damaged - as well as pieces of pumice which the eruption created floating across an area of ocean that is 37 miles (60-kilometers) wide.
Finally, the coast guard was successful in making out the shape of Japan's new island - a crescent.
For now, the new island is still a baby, just about 1 kilometer in diameter. But Japan's Meteorological Agency is certain that the eruption is still in progress, and has made smoke and ash warnings to be issued in the region as they observe the volcanic activity.
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Fukutoku-Okanoba
The expectation is that the whole caldera of Fukutoku-Okanoba - the large depression that looks like a cauldron resulting when the magma chamber of a volcano empties and collapses inside itself - might finally rise over the ocean surface, according to Forbes.
Should the new island show a lasting fixture, there may be geopolitical ramifications. It's situated close to the southernmost islet of Ogasawara in Japan or Bonin Island chain, so it could cause Japan to expand its territorial claims, albeit just by a few hundred meters. Although local media say that this is not likely even if the island stays over the surface.
The island may not last. It might sound bizarre, but Japan has a history whereby landmasses show up only to vanish not too long after: new islands that were verified in 1904, 1914, and 1986 all vanished rather quickly.
Snoopy Island
The one that showed up recently among those just lasted about two months and erosion from waves and currents are responsible for this. At times when they disappear, it takes some time for someone to notice.
Contrarily, some islands have proved to be more long-lasting. In 2013, a volcanic island nicknamed Niijima became so large that it connected with a nearby landmass and gave the world "Snoopy Island" as a gift.
Although it no longer resembles a cartoon beagle, that island - presently referred to as Shima - is still existing, and getting bigger as of last year.
Related Article: Volcanic Vista: A New Japanese Island Formed by a Volcano
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