Japan: Volcanic Island Niijima Continues to Grow
Tokyo, Dec 26 (Prensa Latina) An island formed 602 miles south of Tokyo one month ago, due to strong underwater volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean, has continued growing and is nearly three times as big as its original size, according to the Meteorological Agency of Japan.
Latest measurements of the island, named Niijima, show that the area reached 56,000 square meters and has an altitude of 25 meters above sea level.
The new territory is just 500 meters southeast of the uninhabited volcanic island of Nishinoshima, which belongs to the small Ogasawara archipelago, in the prefecture of Tokyo, far from the main island of Japan.
After its emergence, many experts believed that the new island would disappear soon due to the ocean's erosion, but now Japanese scientists are saying that Niijima could survive several years or even be permanent.
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