About the volcano
Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai is a largely submerged caldera in the South Pacific, of which only two small islets stood above water. On 15 January 2022 it produced a violent explosion: the eruption column rose more than 50 kilometres, the highest in the satellite era, and the pressure wave travelled around the Earth several times. The tsunami struck the coasts of Tonga and reached shores across the Pacific; several people died. The volcano injected a huge amount of water vapour into the stratosphere, whose climatic effects scientists are still studying.
Eruption history
VEI – Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0 = lava outpouring, 4 = like Eyjafjallajökull 2010, 6 = like Pinatubo 1991, 7 = like Tambora 1815. The scale is logarithmic – each step is about 10 times more material.
| Start | End | VEI | Vent and dating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 December 2021 | 15 January 2022 | 5 | Observations: Reported |
| 19 December 2014 | 23 January 2015 | 2 | about 1 km SW of Hunga Tonga and 1 km E of Hunga Ha'apai islands · Observations: Reported |
| 17 March 2009 | 22 March 2009 | 2 | Hunga Ha'apai · Observations: Reported |
| 1 June 1988 | 3 June 1988 | 0 | 1 km SSE of Hunga Ha'apai · Observations: Reported |
| 2 July 1937 | — | 2 | Observations: Reported |
| 29 April 1912 | — | 2 | Observations: Reported |
| 1110 ± 70 years | — | ? | Isotopic: 14C (calibrated) |
Data: Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution (#243040) · Wikipedia (pl) · Wikipedia (en)