On the island of Jima, just 1,200 kilometres south of Tokyo, an unreal scene is unfolding—ships that had drowned during the Battle of Iwo Jimahave been resurfacing because of seismic and volcanic activity on Mount Suribachi.
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This Japanese island was where the American forces clashed with the Japanese during the Pacific War in 1945. As a result, several ships drowned and 21,000 Japanese soldiers died as well.
Forgotten ships
As per the satellite images taken by Japanese television station All Nippon News, the seismic activities revealed 24 transport vessels which were destroyed by the US forces in 1945. In the photos captured, the ships are seen lying on a layer of volcanic ash. According to Setsuya Nakada, the director of the government’s Volcano Research Promotion Centre, there could be more remnants that rise up as volcanic activity has not yet ceased. He told the station:
The discolored sea area has spread to surrounding areas, which indicates that the volcanic activity has not diminished yet.
Major eruptions to come
Another specialist who was also invited to speak on All Nippon News added that the island of Iwo Jima ‘is the land of the fastest-growing volcano among Japan’s 110 active volcanoes.’ Last August, a new underwater eruption caused a never-seen before crescent-shaped island to appear 50 kilometres from the island of Minami Ioto in the Ogasawara archipelago.
According to Geo.fr seismic movements and volcanic activity on Mount Suribachi have prompted the seabed to rise about 10 centimeters above sea level since 1952. Given that the volcanic activity has still not come to a half, experts believe there could be a significant risk of a ‘major eruption on the island of Iwo Jima’ in the coming days.
