Underwater volcanic eruption gives birth to new island in the Pacific

Earth and sand are sent into the air above a new islet that appeared after a volcanic eruption off the coast of Iwo Jima. (Image credit: The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)

An underwater volcanic eruption on Oct. 30 has birthed a new island in the Pacific after the explosion flung huge chunks of rock into a pile off the coast of Japan's Iwo Jima island.

An aircraft belonging to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun spotted the first signs of an eruption in the southern part of the Izu-Ogasawara arc, roughly 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of Tokyo, around midday local time. Explosions occurred every few minutes as red hot magma hit water below the surface, throwing large blocks of rock more than 160 feet (50 meters) into the air, according to a translated statement.