Bayonnaise Rocks
Encyclopedia
is a group of volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 rocks located in the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...

 approximately 408 kilometres (253.5 mi) south of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 and 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) south-southeast of Aogashima
Aogashima
is a village located in Hachijō Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan.-Geography:Aogashima Village covers the island of Aogashima, the southernmost and most isolated populated island in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea, south of central Tokyo, and south of Hachijōjima, its nearest populated...

, in the southern portion of the Izu archipelago
Izu Islands
The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The rocks were discovered by the French corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

 Bayonnaise in 1846.

Geography

The rocks are the exposed portion of the northeast ridge of a submarine volcanic caldera, approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) in diameter at a depth of approximately 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft). The above sea-level portion has a surface area of approximately 0.01 square kilometers, with a summit height of 11 metres (36.1 ft). The caldera is known to have erupted in 1896, 1906, 1915, 1934 1946 and 1952/1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960. The last known submarine eruption of the caldera was in 1970, which discolored the local water.

On the northeast rim of the same caldera 12.8 kilometres (8 mi) to the east of the Bayonnaise Rocks is a submerged reef named , which is a post-caldera cone with a depth of approximately 50 metres (164 ft). During a submarine volcanic eruption of 17 September 1952, an ephemeral island was formed, with a height of 10 metres (32.8 ft), which was created and destroyed several times by volcanic activity until completely disappearing on 3 September 1953.

The vegetation is sparse Bayonnaise Rocks. The islands are a resting place for migratory birds. Located in the Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...

, the area has abundant sea life, and is popular with sports fishermen.

External links

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