This Could Be Why The Massive Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Was So Explosive

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha volcano in January 2022, was a massive eruption.

It produced a swirling cloud of gas, dust and ash that reached 36 miles into the sky, and atmospheric waves that traveled around the globe several times.

The study suggests that a smaller eruption the day before primed the volcano for a bigger explosion by sinking its main vent under the surface of the ocean.

That meant molten rock was pouring out straight into the water. The researchers suggest that the lava was caused to fragment into tiny bits of ash by the water vaporizing.

A cloud of material built static charges in the upper atmosphere that drove a dramatic period of lightning. 80% of Earth's lightning strikes were in the most active hour.

The volcanologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara set out to understand what happened.

The material was sent half way to space, causing violent ripple effects that were felt around the world.

The first two hours of the eruption were very violent, and the event started at 5pm local time. The site faded after about 12 hours. It is the largest eruption since 1991, when Mount Pinatubo exploded in the Philippines.

The models used to chart the waves were based on earthquake activity rather than volcanic eruptions, which caused the waves to arrive earlier than expected.

It is a warning about how dangerous submarine volcanoes can be. The damage they can do can be catastrophic, as shown by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha eruption.

The volume of the eruption was not a big deal, says Frank Spera from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

By the time the area had calmed down, the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha were gone. The islands were created in 2015, after a large eruption from the same volcano made them the highest points on its crater.

A cone-shaped volcano, known as a stratovolcano, gives rise to relatively mild volcanic activity. It is one of the volcanoes fed by magma from the tectonic activity.

There will be more data collected over time and you can expect more studies to look at the cause and effects of the next eruption.

Many aspects of the eruption await further investigation, according to the researchers in the paper.

It is a golden opportunity for fundamental research regarding the complex, non-linear behavior of high energetic volcanic eruptions and attendant phenomena, with critical implications for hazard mitigation, volcano forecasting, and first-response efforts in future disasters.

The research has been published.