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https://www.universetoday.com/154063/tongas-incredible-underwater-volcano-eruption-seen-from-space/

The Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano is located about 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of the capital of Tonga, Nuku’alofa. In late 2014 and early 2015, a series of eruptions in the area created a small new island. While this is a small volcanic island, below the ocean the volcano is huge: around 1.8 km high and 20km wide.

And now, follow-up images of today’s eruption appear to show the small volcanic island was basically blown in two. The volcano has been rumbling and spewing small amounts of ash since late in December 2021, but today’s eruption was one of the largest ever for this volcano. This was the sixth time this volcano has erupted in the last 110 years.  

The link contains some videos from the ISS and from Tonga and the terryfying sound heard by some kids 64 kilometres away.

The Islands were then hit my tsunami waves, and coastal warning given to Fiji and countries as far away as Japan and Australia. Australia and New Zealand are already prepearing air lifts with critical supplies to the most affected areas. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60007119

https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/global-affairs/tsunami-warning-announced-for-tonga/video/ebf41ecdc01a9fa488b75b4c4ee86f7f

Posted

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60007119

Videos on social media showed traffic jams as people tried to flee low-lying areas by car.

One resident, Mere Taufa, said the eruption had hit as her family was preparing for dinner, and her younger brother had thought bombs were exploding nearby.

"My first instinct was to take cover under the table, I grabbed my little sister, and screamed at my parents and others in the house to do the same," New Zealand news site Stuff.co.nz quoted her as saying.

Ms Taufa said the next thing she knew, water was rushing into their home.

"You could just hear screams everywhere, people screaming for safety, for everyone to get to higher ground," she added.

 

The plumes of gas, smoke and ash pouring from the volcano reached 20km into the sky, Tonga Geological Services said.

A map shows location of Tonga in the South Pacific, and a close-up shows the vast plume of ash and steam seen from a satellite

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Fiji feels effects of underwater volcano eruption

Villages in Fiji have gone underwater after an underground volcano eruption near Tonga sparked a tsunami.

Posted

Apparently the 'middle' of the old island has collapsed into the caldera, and it is that collapse that caused the tsunamis.

I wonder if the island is on any ailiner flight paths ( Iceland 1991 ), if the abrasive dust will pose dangers to aviation, or if the majority of vulcanic ash was filtered by the water.

Kind of humbling, when you realize the power of nature.

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