Tofua is home to a large crater lake located in a stunning caldera. Smoke has been seen frequently coming from the volcanic cone north of the lake during the latest stage of the eruption, which began in 2015. (Image credit: NASA/Landsat)
This dramatic aerial photo highlights the “coming threat” of a volcanic island in Tonga that could produce a powerful explosion in the future. The island also has a colorful origin story in Tongan mythology, involving squabbling gods, a stolen mountain and a glowing anus.
The island, known as Tofua, consists largely of a vast ring caldera left by an explosive eruption millions of years ago. The steep walls of the caldera rise 1,690 feet (515 meters) above sea level and conceal a deep crater lake that is about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in diameter. The island is part of the Ha'apai group of islands, a chain of volcanic islands and reefs located along the rift between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates.
One of the most famous inhabitants of the Haʻapai region is the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai, which erupted violently in January 2022, sending a huge column of ash and steam into the ocean. The explosion, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Tofua, released as much energy as hundreds of atomic bombs, causing giant atmospheric shock waves that rippled around the Earth, triggering a local tsunami and destroying a small nearby island. It also added record amounts of water vapor to our planet’s atmosphere.
Tofua is much less active than Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai. However, the smoke in the photo, coming from a volcanic cone north of a crater lake called Lofia, is a reminder that the island is still very active and could erupt again in the future, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
This photo taken in 2018 shows smoke rising from Lothia during the early stages of the current eruption.
“There is a risk that Lofia could explode, as happened on Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in 2022,” although there are no signs that an eruption is imminent, NASA officials wrote in October 2024.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
