Japan Probes Water Vapor Near Iwo Jima
Sun Jul 3, 2:53 AM ET
TOKYO - Japan's Coast Guard dispatched aircraft Sunday to survey a 3,300-foot-high column of steam rising from the Pacific Ocean off a small Japanese island, in a possible sign of an undersea volcanic eruption, officials said.
The water vapor resembling a huge cloud, was seen from the island of Iwo Jima on Saturday by Japanese troops stationed there, said Hiroshi Shirai, a spokesman for the Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
Several soldiers witnessed the vapor in waters roughly 30 miles southeast of the island, he said. The defense officials who later conducted an aerial survey from a rescue helicopter also found the surface of the water in the area turning red, Shirai said, adding that there might have been an underwater volcanic activity.
On Sunday, Japan's Coast Guard sent aircraft to the area to conduct a more thorough survey in daylight. Coast Guard officials said officials are still trying to find out what exactly has occurred in the waters, and no further details were immediately available.
The Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of tsunami, which can be caused by undersea seismic activity or landslides. Iwo Jima is about 700 miles southeast of Tokyo.
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Vapor billows from grayish mud that is rising up from the bottom of the ocean near where a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor shot up in the Pacific Ocean, on Sunday July 3, 2005. Japanese coast guard officials said Sunday after an aerial survey that they believe an underwater eruption has caused a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor to shoot up from the Pacific Ocean near Iwo Jima. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) In this photo released by the Japan Coast Guard, vapor billows from what it describes rocks appearing above the sea near the area where a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor shot up in the Pacific Ocean, on Sunday July 3, 2005. Japanese coast guard officials said Sunday after an aerial survey that they believe an underwater eruption has caused a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor to shoot up from the Pacific Ocean near Iwo Jima. (AP Photo/Japan Coast Guard, HO) A white column of water vapor that is about 1,000 metros (0.62 miles) high is seen in the Pacific Ocean off Iwo Jima, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) south of Tokyo July 2, 2005. The Japan Coast Guard issued warning to vessels planning to sail close to the area and plans an aerial survey beginning Sunday morning according to a local media report. Picture taken July 2, 2005. Photo by Reuters (Handout) In this photo released by the Japan Coast Guard, the change in color of the seawater near where a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor shot up from the Pacific Ocean is seen on Sunday July 3, 2005. Japanese coast guard officials said Sunday after an aerial survey that they believe an underwater eruption has caused a 1 kilometer- (3,300-foot) high column of water vapor to shoot up from the Pacific Ocean near Iwo Jima. The island seen in background is uninhabited Minami Iwo Jima. (AP Photo/Japan Coast Guard, HO) A white column of water vapor is seen in the Pacific Ocean off Iwo Jima, about 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) south of Tokyo July 2, 2005. The Japan Coast Guard issued a warning to vessels planning to sail close to the area and plans an aerial survey beginning Sunday morning according to a local media report. REUTERS/Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force/Handout
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