A NEW island created by a volcanic eruption off Japan's coast is here to stay - for now at least, scientists say, adding the new landmass could withstand erosion for several years. 
 
 Lava that was dramatically vented when an undersea volcano began erupting last month cooled and solidified above the surface of the sea, creating a small island 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo. 
 
 At the time, Japan's coastguard said it was too early to mark a new entry on the national map because it could soon disappear. 
 
 But Japan's meteorological agency said today the island looked set to hang around for some time. 
 
 "As the volcanic eruption is still continuing, we don't know the fate of the island," said agency official Tomoyuki Kano. 
 
 "But it won't disappear in days or weeks, and will probably last for several years ... unless a huge volcanic eruption happens and blows it apart," he said. 
 
 By early this month the island had grown to more than three-and-a-half times its original size, reaching 0.056 square kilometres by December 4. 
 
 "We are still seeing a wisp of smoke and some ash coming from the islet, and occasionally there is lava belching forth, so the islet may grow even bigger," Mr Kano added. 
 
 Video footage taken on December 1 showed a thread of white smoke curling out of the top of the islet, with the sea around it turning reddish. 
 
 Similar eruptions in the early 1970s and mid-80s created tiny islets in Japan's territory that have since been partially or completely eaten up by the ocean. 
 
 While the new island is in uncontested waters, its emergence comes as Tokyo is embroiled in a row with Beijing over the sovereignty of a small archipelago in the East China Sea. 
 
 The sudden appearance sparked quips from ministers about the expansion of Japan's territorial waters. 
 
 AFP 

 Robert Simmon / EO-1 / NASA A camera on NASA's Earth Observing 1 satellite captured this Dec. 8 picture of the new volcanic island, Niijima, sitting next to another volcanic island called Nishino-shima. Stirred-up sediment lightens up the waters around Niijima, and white puffs of steam are heading out to sea. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Clouds of steam and other volcanic gases mark the birth of Niijima, a new volcanic island off the coast of Japan, in a space snapshot captured by NASA's Earth Observing 1 satellite. 
 
 Niijima rose up from the Pacific last month, about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Tokyo and only 500 meters (yards) from another volcanic island called Nishimo-shima. That island sprouted from the sea in 1973 and 1974. Now Nishino-shima's volcanic arc, part of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire," has given birth to a new stretch of land. 
 
 In the Dec. 8 picture from EO-1's Advanced Land Imager, you can see how volcanic activity is stirring up sediment around the edges of the baby island, and how puffs of steam are streaming southward. Aerial photography from the Japan Coast Guard also documents Niijima's growth. This week, the Coast Guard reported that Niijima has grown to 0.08 square kilometers (19.8 acres) in area, which is five times its initial size. 
 
 How long will Niijima stick around? "As the volcanic eruption is still continuing, we don't know the fate of the island," the Japan Meteorological Agency's Tomoyuki Kano told AFP. "But it won't disappear in days or weeks, and will probably last for several years ... unless a huge volcanic eruption happens and blows it apart." 
 
 That assessment is in contrast with the outlook for Zalzala Koh, the soft "mud island" that rose up off the coast of Pakistan near Gwadar in the wake of a deadly earthquake on Sept. 24. Zalzala Koh is gradually sinking back into the Arabian Sea and probably won't last another year. 
 
 The satellite image of Niijima is part of the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which highlights daily views of Earth from space from Dec. 1 to 25. For more Advent calendar goodies, check out The Atlantic's Hubble Advent Calendar, Zooniverse's Advent calendar and the Galileo's Pendulum Science Advent Calendar. 
 
 Japan Coast Guard Clouds of steam and gas rise from Niijima on Dec. 13, in an aerial photograph from the Japan Coast Guard. Nishino-shima is nearby. 
 
 Satellite images and aerial video focus on Niijima, a new volcanic island in the Pacific. Watch on YouTube 
 
 Previously on the Space Advent Calendar: 
 
 Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the NBC News Science Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
– An island that sprouted out of the Pacific thanks to an undersea volcanic eruption some 600 miles south of Tokyo last month might just be here to stay. Scientists initially guessed the new island would soon sink below the surface—Pakistan's newest island is doing just that—but satellite images show the little mound has actually grown since its birth, so Japan has decided to name it. Niijima, as it's called, is now 19.8 acres or five times its initial size, NBC News reports. And while it may not be a permanent mark on the globe, it's not likely to go anywhere soon. "We don't know the fate of the island," a Japan Meteorological Agency rep tells the AFP. "But it won't disappear in days or weeks, and will probably last for several years ... unless a huge volcanic eruption happens and blows it apart." That assessment is based on part on the fact that a recent satellite image shows signs of ongoing volcanic activity. "We are still seeing a wisp of smoke and some ash coming from the islet, and occasionally there is lava belching forth, so the islet may grow even bigger," the rep added. (Click to read about a Pacific island nation that's sinking.)