New island emerges as volcano erupts off Japan

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TOKYO: An undersea volcano erupted off Japan three weeks ago, providing a rare view of the birth of a tiny new island, but experts say it may not last very long.

Located about 1 km off the southern coast of Iwo Jima, which Japan calls Ioto, started its eruptions on October 21. By early November, it became a new island of 328 feet in diameter and 66 feet above the sea, according to Yuji Usui, an analyst in the Japan Meteorological Agency’s volcanic division.