A volcanic island some 600 miles south of Japan is experiencing a ‘vigorous growth spurt.’ Nishinoshima, which first emerged from the sea in the 1970s, has expanded an additional 500 feet from June 19 through July 3.

NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired the natural-color image above on July 6, when the volcanic plume stretched hundreds of miles to the north and rose several thousand miles into the sky?

NASA released a satellite image from July 4 that shows heat signature of erupting lava and cooling of the dark plume ash blowing to the north.

Japan officials say the activity began around late May and on July 3 the volcanic plume rose as high as 15,400 feet and the next day ash was detected at 27,200 feet- the highest plume on record since 2013.

According to Japan's NHK news agency, researchers from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan say the southern part of the island has expanded by almost 500 feet from June 19 to July 3

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