14 DAY TRIAL // Authorities in Japan were surprised to wake up this morning and find that their country just got an island larger. A large volcanic eruption that occurred near one of the Bonin Islands, in the Ogasawara archipelago, gave birth to a new volcanic island, with a diameter of around 200 meters (656 feet).
The new islet is located around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from Tokyo. At this point, geologists are not sure if the island will endure, or if it will be eroded by the sea in the same amount of time it took for it to appear, RT reports.
According to Japanese volcanologists, most geological activity in the area occurs along the Izu-Ogasawara-Marianas Trench, deep under water. However, the new eruption spewed out so much material that the ejecta cone eventually made its way to the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Yoshihide Suga, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, said that if the island becomes permanent, then “we would be happy to have more territory.” It is very hard to image a country that would balk when new territory literally springs up out of nothing over night.