On Saturday, a major volcanic explosion in Tonga generated a tsunami that swept across the Pacific Ocean. Waves from the ocean battered all the western coasts of the U.S. and South America.
A massive ash cloud has enveloped the Pacific Islands for hundreds of kilometres after an air shock wave was detected throughout the planet.
Where is Tonga?
Located 2,000 miles (3,300km) east of Australia, Tonga is a collection of 170, mostly deserted, islands. The massive volcano that erupted underwater is of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai, located 40 miles north of the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga.
The volcano’s core submerged into the ocean on Saturday. It erupted two hours later and had a terrible impact. It mostly obliterated the volcano and the surrounding terrain.
The explosion triggered a tremendous shock wave that travelled at a rate of around 300 metres (1,000 feet) per second across the atmosphere.
Within 15 hours, researchers in Europe, on the other side of the planet, discovered variations in atmospheric pressure. The blast was heard from Fiji all the way to Alaska.
How fast was the tsunami’s destruction felt?
Tsunami waves swept over the Pacific Ocean in a matter of minutes. It arrived in New Zealand in less than five hours, and in Alaska in about ten.
According to the experts, the collapse of material has triggered on the ocean floor the tsunami and sped up by a pressure wave pressing down on the water’s top. On Monday, the waves were still being recorded in Australia.
Even if they are not exceptionally large, tsunami waves can do far more damage than typical waves. The time it takes for a typical wave to wash up the coast and run out again is around 15 seconds. These waves in Australia mostly lasted for about 30 minutes, even though they were less than 1m high. For these waves, getting closer to shore took around 15 minutes, and getting away took another 15 minutes.
What made the eruption severe?
Experts are still trying to figure out what caused this eruption to be so severe.
Many people say that the pace at which the volcano’s molten lava was shot out had a huge role. There is no time for a layer of steam to cool moving magma packed with volcanic gas through seawater. Researchers claim that this “fuel-coolant interaction” creates a chemical explosion. Deepwater usually suppresses such eruptions. However, the volcano’s surface was only around 150 to 200 metres below the level of the ocean.
What’s the current situation?
It’s impossible to know how much damage it has done without being able to communicate with Tonga. Communications through the Internet and telephone are very limited, and remote coastal communities are still completely cut off.
The ash cloud, according to the Red Cross, has been affecting even satellite phones, which are commonly used by humanitarian organisations.
There is a possibility that the tsunami affected up to 80,000 individuals, according to Red Cross. Locals have been warned to consume bottled water and wear face masks because of the dangers posed by the volcano’s ash.
“Significant damage” to the western shore of Tonga tapu’s main island has been reported by the New Zealand authorities.
