A new island suddenly appeared in Japan, adding to the list of islands in the Land of Sakura, which number around 6,000. According to scientists, the new land was formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred under the sea.
The new island was formed in the Pacific Ocean, about 50 kilometers from Minami Outo, the southernmost island in the Ogasawara archipelago. The Japanese coast guard said it was shaped like a sickle and about 1 kilometer in diameter.
However, whether this island will become permanent or will disappear, at this time can not be determined. Several factors will determine the fate of the island in the future.
If volcanic activity continues to produce large quantities of lava, the island will be more solid and thus will last longer in the face of the waves.
However, professor Kenji Nigami of the Volcanic Fluid Research Center at the Tokyo Institute of Technology stated that the possible material for the new island is pumice and ash. With the ferocity of marine activity, it is possible that the island will be eroded.
Similar islands have appeared before in the same area, namely in 1904, 1914 and 1986. However, all of these islands were eventually lost due to erosion.
On the other hand, the Japanese meteorological agency believes that an underwater eruption will still occur, so they issued a warning to alert residents.
The emergence of the island could be quite important in terms of geopolitics if its location could add to Japanese territory. However, it is concluded that this new island is still close to the Japanese archipelago at this time so there may not be any changes.