The Kingdom of Tonga doesn't often attract global attention, but a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half the world.
A map of the seafloor shows the volcanic cones and massive caldera. around 5 kilometers across. Small eruptions occur mainly at the edge of the caldera, but very big ones come from the caldera itself. These big eruptions are so large the top of the erupting magma collapses inward, deepening the caldera.
We're still in the middle of this major eruptive sequence and many aspects remain unclear, partly because the island is currently obscured by ash clouds. The latest eruption has stepped up the scale in terms of violence. The ash plume is already about 20 kilometers high. Most remarkably, it spread out almost concentrically over a distance of about 130 kilometers from the volcano, creating a plume with a 260 kilometer diameter, before it was distorted by the wind.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Volcano erupts near Tonga, islanders rush to escape wavesAn undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.
Lire la suite »
Explosive underwater volcano eruption in Tonga spotted from space in satellite imagesThe ongoing eruption is about seven times more powerful than this volcano's last outburst.
Lire la suite »
Tsunami observed in American Samoa after Tonga volcano eruptsAn underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations, with footage on social media showing waves crashing into homes.
Lire la suite »
Tsunami waves hit South Pacific island of Tonga following volcanic eruptionA tsunami has hit Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, and reportedly sent waves flooding into the capital after an underwater volcano in the South Pacific exploded in a violent eruption on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash and gas steam into the air.
Lire la suite »
Tonga issues tsunami warning after massive undersea volcano eruptionThe eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano, located about 65 kilometres north of Nuku'alofa, caused a 1.2 metre tsunami.
Lire la suite »
Pacific Nation of Tonga Issues Tsunami Warning After Undersea Volcano EruptsPacific nation of Tonga issues tsunami warning after undersea volcano erupts.
Lire la suite »