An undersea volcano erupted near the Pacific island of Tonga, and several satellites caught the incredible explosion in action. The blast of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano created a plume of ash, steam and gas mushrooming above the Pacific Ocean, with a quickly expanding shockwave visible from orbit.
Credit: NOAA/NASA

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, near Tonga, erupted on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. The volcano sits only 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga. Tonga is a country made up of about 150 islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands lie about 1,950 miles (3,140 kilometers) east of Australia. About two-thirds of the people live on Tongatapu, the largest island.

The eruption caused a far-reaching volcanic mushroom cloud and tsunami waves up to 50 feet (15 meters) high. Experts report the volcanic eruption was the most powerful the world has seen in 30 years. Satellites detected volcanic ash from the eruption as high as 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, the highest it has ever been detected. The volcano was visible above the water before it erupted, but has almost disappeared from view.

The volcano deposited ash and gas in the air and contributed to acid rain Throughout Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of ash covered surfaces. Nuku’alofa, on Tongatapu, is the country’s chief port and commercial center. Nuku’alofa has about 23,000 people. The volcanic ash tainted water supplies. The Red Cross shipped in clean water for the islands. Many of the islands did not have running water or electricity before the volcano erupted. The United Nations sent surveillance flights over the islands to assess the damage. Nearly all the houses on Mango, Fonoifua, and Nomuka were destroyed.

After seeing the eruption on satellites, countries around the world reached out to Tonga. However, there was no communication regarding the state of Tonga until Tuesday night. Officials in New Zealand and Australia were able to make contact with Tonga through satellite phones. Officials confirmed three people died from the eruption and tsunami. The internet and international telephone lines remained down Tuesday evening, but local lines were recovered.

On Sunday morning, weather agencies sent out tsunami advisories warning people to stay away from shores and out of water in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. The eruption caused tsunamis that flooded Japan and the Pacific coast of the United States. A sonic boom from the eruption was heard in Alaska. The aftermath of the eruption caused high waves that drowned two people in Peru. The aftermath also caused an oil spill in Peru. All tsunami advisories were lifted by Sunday afternoon.

Officials in Tonga are working to clear runways of ash so that planes with supplies from New Zealand can land. The country of about 100,000 people shut its borders in 2020 and has only seen one case of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. There are worries that aid and rescue workers will bring the virus to the islands. Rescue efforts are waiting for direction on how to safely drop off supplies and help with the damage. At present, we still do not know the extent of the damage caused by the volcanic eruption and resulting tsunami.