About 650 km south of Tokyo on the southern tip of the Izu archipelago, the 100m (99m to be precise) high top of a basaltic stratovolcano dramatically emerges from the sea like a dagger. Below the water this stratovolcano is 28km wide and rises from the seafloor 2200m. It is almost impossible to disembark on the uninhabited sea stack due to the rough waters surrounding it. Also, it has an area of no more than 0.01 km2. The only vegetation the islet harbours is plain grass. In 1975 discolored water 500m from the basaltic pinnacle confirmed that the volcano is in fact still active. Known for its extremely transparent waters, the areas surrounding the sea stack is known for its scuba diving.
In Japan known as Sofugan, the sea stack actually got its name in 1788 when British merchant Hohn Meares passed by. Mesmerized by the height of the stack he called it the most marvelous thing he had ever laid eyes on and gave it the name Lot’s wife. Lot’s wife did not see a good faith. After being warned not to look back at her city Sodom, she did and became a pillar of salt. The Japanese word for the sea stack, Sofugan is actually a free translation of ‘Widow’s crag’.
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soufuiwa_07_02.jpg
References: http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=284091_ _
