In December 2021, a large area of floating stones actually surrounded a 90,000-ton U.S. ship, making it difficult to move an inch.
(All statements in this article are based on reliable sources)
One day in December 2021, the USS Miguel Keith expeditionary mobile base ship was caught in a "fierce battle" with pumice stones in the ocean in the waters near Japan.
These pumice stones are no ordinary stones, but a miraculous mineral that can easily float on the surface of the sea, making it difficult for even huge ships to move.
To understand where these amazing floating rocks came from, we have to go back to August 13, 2021, the day of the eruption of the "Fukuoka no Field" submarine volcano in Japan.
The magma poured into the seawater and cooled rapidly, forming a large number of pumice stones, which are not ordinary stones, but formed after the cooling of volcanic magma, and the main component is silica, which is soft and has a small specific gravity, so it can float.
Pumice is not simply a hard rock, but is full of mysterious pores, which can even occupy more than 70% of the total volume, all because of the special process after the magma pours into the seawater: the solubility of the gas in the magma decreases, and countless small bubbles are formed, and finally these aerated pumice stones are formed.
The eruption of the submarine volcano "Fukugan no Field" turned the entire sea area into a huge pumice raft with an area of more than 30 square kilometers, this pumice raft is not stationary, but moves with the waves on the surface of the sea.
You may wonder how these lightweight stones can pose a threat to a huge ship, in fact, although pumice stones can float on the water, they can be sucked in by the boat's engine system, condenser pipes, and other critical parts during the voyage, causing damage to the boat.
In October 2021, 40 Japanese fishing boats were damaged by pumice "attacks", six of which were unable to even move.
Even the 90,000-ton U.S. ship was not spared from the pumice "attack", and the ship's seawater tank filter was blocked by a large number of pumice, and key parts such as the propulsion system, cooler, and pipes for producing drinking water were affected.
These devices were critical to the normal operation of the ship, and in order to avoid accidents, the ship had to turn off its engines and carry out emergency repairs. This is not a trivial matter, just like a behemoth suddenly besieged by a group of small insects, the domineering ship looks a little helpless in front of the pumice stone.
The threat of pumice is not limited to the direct impact on ships, the size of the entire pumice raft is large enough to have a serious impact on maritime traffic. Fishing boats and sightseeing boats were unable to go to sea, and the fishing and tourism industries were greatly impacted, forming a series of chain reactions.
The discovery of a 3-meter-wide and 40-meter-long belt of pumice rocks on Ishigaki Island in Japan threatens the aquaculture industry, and fishermen worry that fish will accidentally ingest the pumice stones and eventually die.
However, pumice stone is not useless, in the clothing manufacturing industry, pumice stone is often used to polish jeans to achieve the effect of fading and aging, this unique processing method, so that jeans show a different kind of vicissitudes of beauty.
The abundance of voids in the pumice stone also makes it an ideal rubbing stone material to massage the soles of the feet and effectively remove the old cuticles from the skin, leaving the feet soft and pleasant. This natural matte material is a gentle gift from nature.
Taken together, these seemingly light pumice stones are both mysterious and dangerous, but also have a variety of uses, and the "pumice rafts" at sea are like works of art in nature, which is breathtaking. It is this complex and diverse nature that makes pumice stone a unique sight in the ocean.
Information sources: Sohu.com, The Paper
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