Volcanic islands merge in Pacific Ocean

A volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean has merged with its neighbour to form one landmass, NASAscientists say. The merged island is a result of eruptions on the seafloor that have spewed enough material to rise above the water line. In November 2013, a seafloor volcano in the western Pacific Ocean spewed enough material to rise above the water line. The new island, or "niijima" in Japanese, sprouted just 500 meters from Nishino-shima, another volcanic island that had last erupted and expanded in 1973?74, NASA said.