An island recently born emerged from the Pacific Ocean European Space Agency (ESA) images show the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption is now visible from space. Satellite images show the new land about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) off the coast of Japan’s Iwo Jima island.

The submerged volcano began erupting on October 21, and activity increased over the next 10 days. Until October 30, explosions were occurring every few minutes. translated statement. The explosion threw large chunks of rock into the air and sent a cloud of gas and ash nearly vertically 160 feet (50 meters) above the water’s surface.

Since the eruption, “volcanic ash and rocks have accumulated to form a new island, which can now be seen from space.” expression ESA. The last image was taken by the Landsat 9 satellite on November 3. It shows Iwo Jima, about 750 miles (1,200 km) south of Tokyo, before and after the final explosion.

Along with the new island, the volcano also created a floating sea of ​​pumice, a type of extremely porous rock formed during explosive eruptions. A new analysis of this pumice revealed that its chemical composition differs from emissions from other volcanoes in the chain, according to another translation of the statement. The statement stated that the pumice was probably formed as a result of an explosion along the back arc rift zone (the area behind the volcanic arc).

The latest eruption occurred at nearly the same location as the July 2022 eruption, indicating a resumption of magma activity on Iwo Jima. Yuji Usui, an analyst with the Japan Meteorological Agency, told the AP that the eruption has subsided.

The new island is about 330 feet (100 m) wide and up to 66 feet (20 m) high, but appears to be shrinking as the waves erode the “crumbling” rock, Usui said. It’s unclear whether the new island will survive, and it depends on what it’s made of: if it’s lava, it might last longer. “We just need to see improvement,” he told the AP.