Scores of pumice rock are washing up on the shores of islands across the Pacific months after submarine volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba erupted.
The rocks were expelled from the volcanic eruption, and float to the surface because they are porous and have air pockets. The result is slushy-looking waves washing along the shores.
The rocks are actually a hazard and pose an environmental risk to the areas effected. Fish and wildlife are dying from the rocks, and they’re damaging boats and structures as they wash ashore.
Hard to believe that I’ve never seen something like this before. It sometimes feels like Mother Nature keeps inventing new ways to fascinate me.
Occurred on November 2, 2021 / Okuma, Kunigami, Okinawa, Japan “Several months after the eruption of the submarine volcano Fukutoku-Okanoba, pumice stones washed up on this beach in Okuma, Kunigami district of Okinawa, Japan, more than 1,000 kilometers south. Because pumice stones are porous and filled with air pockets, they float on the surface of the water, creating the illusion that the beach was undulating like the waves of the ocean. The government of Okinawa is working diligently to remove large amounts of pumice from this and other areas, as it is killing fish and causing damage to boats and ports.” Credit: kylesthenix