Watch a volcanic eruption form a new island south of Japan
Is Atlantis currently under construction in the western Pacific? Nope, just the "ring of fire" doing what it does.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The Pacific "ring of fire" is living up to its name this week in the sea south of Japan, where volcanic eruptions have been raising up -- or rather laying down -- a brand-new island.
The Japanese coast guard reports that the infant isle is about 660 feet in diameter and located about 620 miles south of Tokyo. In the video below, you see ash, smoke, steam, and rocks bursting forth from a crater and performing a little lava-based construction in the process -- eat your heart out, pumice fans!
Japan hasn't yet decided whether or not it will claim the island as new territory, since many newborn volcanic islets are often soon reclaimed by the sea.
"If it becomes a full-fledged island, we would be happy to have more territory," Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.
Watch the sea get angry in the news clip below: