Japan: Water vapor column shoots 1 kilometer into air over Pacific Ocean: Report

AP ^ | 07/03/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

Sunday July 3, 12:03 AM

Water vapor column shoots 1 kilometer into air over Pacific Ocean: Report

A 1-kilometer (3,300-foot) -high column of water vapor shot up from the Pacific Ocean off a tiny Japanese island on Saturday, indicating a possible undersea volcanic eruption, a report said.

The water vapor, resembling the steam emitted by a boiling kettle, was seen from the island of Iwo Jima by Japanese troops stationed there, Kyodo News agency said.

The vapor was roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the island, and was believed to have been caused by an erupting volcano on the ocean floor, the report said.

Japan's Coast Guard planned to dispatch aircraft to the area to conduct a survey on Sunday.

The Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of tsunami, potentially killer waves caused by undersea seismic activity or landslides.

Iwo Jima is about 1,120 kilometers (700 miles) southeast of Tokyo.

[Jim Noble]

[polymuser]

Well, they'd better call a special Kyoto meeting to determine how they're going to deal with this new source of global warming activity. And what about local sea life affected by the suspended particulates and chemicals? Who's going to clean this up?

[mewzilla]

I think we just may have had a small earthquake in Central Kaleefornia. It sounded like a loud boom though.

"It is a decision of the Supreme Court," said the minority leader. "So this is almost as if God has spoken."

Nah. Couldn't've been...

[Strategerist]

Well, they'd better call a special Kyoto meeting to determine how they're going to deal with this new source of global warming activity.

As I've pointed out to the last 50,000 posters or so that have recycled old inane jokes about volcanoes and Kyoto, on balance volcanic activity COOLS the earth.

In fact the lack of large amounts of volcanic ash in the atmosphere since Pinatubo may be a contributor to recent high average temperatures worldwide.

[Strategerist]

Beats me; that can only be picked up by seismographs literally on top of the volcano.

I don't know if any of the Iwo Jima ones are avaliable on-line and if they'd even be close enough to the submarine eruption to do so.

[mewzilla]

Thanks! Fascinating stuff :)

[SIDENET]

Nothing beats Mothra.

[Calusa]

Ping!

[Ditter]

Ah! So! You are surprized?

[Cold Heart]

Izu Trench BTTT

[Graymatter]

Japanese is such a difficult language. Are we sure we heard them right?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #31

You worry too much.:-)

[djf]

Beat me to it!

I was thinking fish farts.

[Trimegistus]

Howard Dean says it's Bush's fault.

[moog]

There was a similar submarine eruption offshore in 2001.

Now haw does a submarine erupt? A bunch of angry sailors perhaps???

Yes, I know the meaning, just couldn't resist.

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

This is the lead story on BBC Asia this morning:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4646185.stm

[laishly]

Great pics! Thanks!

[mountn man]

Overall the number of large quakes worldwide, and certainly in the Pacific rim, remains well below normal, and really there's not much volcanism going on worldwide or in the Pacific Rim, especially in terms of large scale eruptions.

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

A good, timely article on a part of the world that deserves more coverage.

[Bernard Marx]

Thanks for that -- it really got to me!