NOAA's GOES West satellite captured a powerful eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hanga Ha'apai volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. (Image courtesy of NOAA)
A tsunami triggered by the explosive eruption of the Tonga underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean hit the coast of the Pacific nation on Saturday (January 15), forcing residents to rush to higher ground, news agencies reported.
A tsunami measuring 4 feet (1.2 metres) high was reported to have reached Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa, located about 40 miles (65 kilometres) south of the underwater volcano.
There are no reports of casualties as communications with the nation were cut off after the eruption, the Associated Press reported. However, a local resident said she was at home cooking dinner when she heard the eruption at around 7pm local time on Saturday. “It was very powerful, the ground was shaking, our house was shaking. It was like waves, my little brother thought there were bombs going off somewhere nearby,” Taufa told New Zealand news outlet Stuff.co.nz.
Such massive blasts can cause tsunamis a considerable distance from the source. In fact, tsunami warnings have been issued for the Pacific coast of the United States and Hawaii, and authorities have advised people to avoid beaches and shorelines. The Tonga Meteorological Service has issued tsunami warnings (which are more serious than “advisories”) for Fiji and Samoa, The New York Times reports.
The image, taken using infrared channels from a satellite camera, shows volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide.
Local authorities said the massive underwater eruption spanned a radius of 161.5 miles (260 km) and sent ash, steam and gas more than 12 miles (20 km) into the atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The eruption was seven times more powerful than the last eruption of the same volcano, which occurred on Dec. 20, 2021, NOAA said.
“It's quite a significant event – one of the most spectacular eruptions in the last 10 years,” Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, told the BBC.
This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
Ginna BrynerSocial Link NavigationEditor-in-Chief, Scientific American
Jeanna Bryner is the editor-in-chief of Scientific American. She previously served as the editor-in-chief of Live Science and, before that, was the editor of Scholastic’s Science World magazine. Bryner holds a degree in English from Salisbury University, a master’s degree in biogeochemistry and environmental science from the University of Maryland, and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. She worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and conducted field research on endangered species, including the beautiful Florida scrub jay. She also received an ocean journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She firmly believes that science is for everyone and that almost anything can be viewed through the lens of science.
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