Japan's volcanic island

Japan Island Created By Volcano Could Collapse, Cause Tsunami

Japan's tsunami fears may be on the rise yet again.

Weather.com

20 August, 2014

This time, it's coming from an area some 600 miles south of Tokyo, in an island chain that has been rapidly growing due to volcanoes, according to the Agence France Press. At the moment, scientists are focused on Nishinoshima Island, which is growing at a rate of 7 million cubic feet per day, the report adds.

If a large enough piece of that island were to collapse during its rapid expansion, it could spell disaster nearby.

"If lava continues to mount on the eastern area, part of the island's slopes could collapse and cause a tsunami," said Fukashi Maeno, assistant professor of the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, in the AFP report.

(MORE: Dozens Dead, Many Still Missing in Catastrophic Flooding)

According to AOL, if a collapse occurs, it would take only 18 minutes for a possibly-devastating wave to arrive at Japan's closest island, Chichijima, where about 2,000 people live. Japan's Meteorological Agency has been tasked with monitoring the island, as well as simulating what would happen if the worst-case scenario played out, the report also said.

"We studied the simulation this morning, and we are thinking of consulting with earthquake prediction experts ... about the probability of this actually happening, and what kind of measures we would be able to take," an official with JMA told AFP.

Japan remains on edge after a 2011 tsunami killed nearly 16,000 people after a 9.0 earthquake just off the eastern coast, according to CNN. The epicenter was 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, and the tremor generated 30-foot waves that ravaged the shoreline.