ROCKY WAVES

Off the Ogasawara archipelago in the Pacific, an underwater eruption occurred in August 2021, creating waves of pumice stones now breaking off the coast of Japan.

They are in their raw state made up of molten rock material which is violently expelled during the eruption, then undergoes cooling and instantaneous depressurization. When the pressure drops, significant degassing takes place, letting small gas bubbles escape giving their final spongy appearance.

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Following this natural phenomenon, we were able to observe a radical modification of the coastal landscapes, causing harmful consequences:

– Economic: impossibility for the boats to practice fishing because of their immobilization at the quayside leading to a paralysis of the ports and the cessation of tourism;

– Environmental: the most worrying because it concerns the underwater fauna. Indeed, these waves forming a thick layer on the surface of the water cause the fish to suffocate.

We can still find some temporary beneficial effects: this so-called “raft” of stones could help preserve the Great Barrier Reef, which we know is increasingly threatened over time.

Marine’s life such as crustaceans and other corals cling to and grow all around, allowing the restoration of other reefs that have been gradually attacked by global warming and pollution.

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Today, man is a spectator of these natural manifestations that he cannot control, apart from him can now become a major player in the protection of flora and fauna, although our beautiful planet often succeeds to find a way to rebalance itself.

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