14 DAY TRIAL // A series of volcanic eruptions that took place last month in the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean led to the birth of a new volcanic island in the Ogasaware Archipelago, a part of Japan's territorial waters. The tiny island is located around 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Tokyo.
When the island was first discovered, in late November, geologists were unsure as to whether or not the island would survive for more than a couple of weeks. However, measurements conducted in mid-December evidence the fact that the island continues to grow even now, fueled by the same volcanic eruption that created it in the first place.
The image above was captured by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument aboard the NASA Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite on December 8. The photo clearly shows volcanic mineral-induced water discoloration around the island, as well as a variety of sea sediments that are being stirred up by the volcanic activity in the area.
According to investigators at the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the island grew to three times its original size by early December. Dubbed Niijima, the new landmass now covers around 56,000 square meters (601.128 square feet or 13.8 acres). Scientists say it may last at least another few years.