Undersea Volcano Erupts--and It Creates a Tiny Island

An undersea volcano near the Pacific island of Iwo Jima erupted for the first time in 72 years, spewing a column of white smoke nearly 2 1/2 miles high and creating a tiny island, maritime officials reported today.

The new island, rising about 50 feet above sea level and about 2,300 feet by 980 feet wide, was spotted by the agency’s survey ship Takuyo this morning, officials of the Maritime Safety Agency said.

The islet is situated about 2 1/2 miles northeast of Iwo Jima, scene of one of the fiercest battles in World War II and about 1,000 miles south of Tokyo, the officials said.

The volcano was spewing tongues of lava nearly 32 feet in diameter and nearly 1,000 feet high, they said. A column of white smoke reached about 6,500 feet above sea level.

Japanese fishermen operating nearby first saw the volcano erupt, and the activity was confirmed Sunday by a Maritime Self-Defense Force detachment based on Iwo Jima.

The undersea volcano has had major eruptions over the last 85 years, with the last explosion taking place in 1914. A small island created in the previous eruption submerged a year later.