Volcanic Island “Cannibalizes” Its Neighbor “Pac-Man” Style

By: | April 8th, 2014

Snoopy-Shaped Island Eats Its Neighbor

While Chinese and Japanese politicians, military leaders and “scholars” continue their “spitting contest” over the “Diaoyo Islands” or “Senkaku Islands,” depending on your point of view, a much more interesting phenomenon is occurring in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the most seismically active spot in the world.

In November 2013, a baby volcanic island, now just 5 months old, was born about 600 miles (1,000km) south of Tokyo and christened “Niijimashima.” Nearby was a larger volcanic island called Nishinoshima. Since the “baby” came on the scene it has consumed its larger neighbor. The phenomenon has given off plumes of steam and volcanic gases while discoloring surrounding water with volcanic minerals and gases.

Clearly an eruption is occurring undersea and building a new landmass, layer by layer and it has broken through the surface of the ocean. The new merged island is 3,300 feet in diameter and has risen 200 feet (60m) above sea level. Pictures of the birth of Niijima and the merging of the islands have been captured by the Japanese Coast Guard and NASA’s Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite.

The last eruption of the volcano that created these two islands occurred from 1973 to 1974.

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David Russell Schilling

David enjoys writing about high technology and its potential to make life better for all who inhabit planet earth.

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