Geographic Features
The island has an approximate area of 21 km2 (8 sq mi). The most prominent feature is Mount Suribachi on the southern tip, a vent that is thought to be dormant and is 161 m (528 ft) high. Named after a Japanese grinding bowl, the summit of Mount Suribachi is the highest point on the island. Iwo Jima is unusually flat and featureless for a volcanic island. Suribachi is the only obvious volcanic feature, as it is only the resurgent dome (raised centre) of a larger submerged volcanic caldera.
Captain Cook's surveying crew in 1776 to 1779 landed on a beach which is now 40 m (131 ft) above sea level due to volcanic uplifting. Such uplifting occurs on the island at a varying rate of between 100 and 800 mm (3.9 and 31 in) per year, with an average rate of 200 mm (8 in) per year.
Forty-three nautical miles (50 mi, 80 km) north of the island is North Iwo Jima (北硫黄島, Kita-Iō-tō?, literally: "North Sulfur Island") and 32 nautical miles (37 mi; 59 km) south lies South Iwo Jima (南硫黄島, Minami-Iō-tō?, "South Sulfur Island"), with the three islands making up the Volcano Islands group of the Ogasawara Islands. Just south of Minami-Iō-jima are the Mariana Islands.
Iwo Jima has a history of minor volcanic activity a few times per year (fumaroles, and their resultant discolored patches of seawater nearby), but so far no sign of a big eruption coming. The latest activity was in May 2012 (fumaroles and discolored patches of seawater).
| Climate data for Iwo Jima | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 22 (71) |
22 (71) |
23 (73) |
26 (78) |
28 (82) |
29 (85) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
27 (80) |
24 (75) |
27 (80) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17 (63) |
17 (63) |
18 (65) |
21 (69) |
23 (74) |
25 (77) |
26 (78) |
26 (78) |
26 (78) |
24 (76) |
23 (73) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) |
8 (0.3) |
46 (1.8) |
107 (4.2) |
112 (4.4) |
99 (3.9) |
180 (7.1) |
168 (6.6) |
112 (4.4) |
168 (6.6) |
124 (4.9) |
114 (4.5) |
1,382 (54.4) |
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