Japan volcanic isle smoldering and growing

TOKYO – A volcanic island off Japan’s southern coast continues to smolder with lava flowing from its craters into the sea, new aerial images showed Friday.

Photo by AFPTV/JAPAN COAST GUARD

Nishinoshima, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Tokyo, joined up with a small volcanic islet formed in November and the new mass now measures 1.26 square kilometers (0.49 square miles) around, the Japanese coastguard said.

The agency’s images showed a few craters on Nishinoshima spewing columns of smoke 1,500-2,000 meters (4,900-6,600 feet ) high as molten lava flowed into the sea, sending clouds of white steam into the sky.

Nishinoshima is estimated to be 10 million years old.