Tonga underwater volcanic eruption was equal the largest natural explosion in more than a CENTURY

Tonga’s volcanic eruption in January 2022 was more powerful than the largest-ever nuclear explosion in the US, scientists have confirmed.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, an underwater volcano in the South Pacific, has blown 20,000 Olympic size pools of water into the stratosphere.

It triggered a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, sending tsunami waves crashing into the island that were felt as far away as Russia, the US and Chile.

University of Miami scientists used satellite and underwater data to simulate the colossal tsunami that hit the Tongan archipelago.

It revealed that the eruption was the largest natural explosion in more than a century, comparable to Krakatoa in 1883, which killed more than 36,000 people.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption occurred in the South Pacific Ocean, about 40 miles (65 km) from the main island of Tonga, on January 15, 2022.

It released an ash plume 187,000 feet (57 km) high, and was the first recorded to break through the third layer of the atmosphere — the mesosphere.

The eruption is said to have released more energy than the Tsar Bomba – the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated.

It also generated a mega-tsunami, sending waves up to 45 meters high along the coast of Tofua Island in Tonga.

Waves of up to 17 meters high also hit the country’s most populous island, Tongatapu.

But despite the force of the eruption and resulting tsunami, only four deaths were recorded in the Tongan archipelago and two in Peru.

For the new study, published in Scientific progressresearchers wanted to see what it was that prevented the devastation from extending any further.

They first constructed a timeline of events; five consecutive blasts, the fifth of which measured 15 megatons of TNT.

They used before-and-after satellite imagery, drone imagery, field observations and topographical data from the coral reef and ocean floor to simulate its effect on the ocean.

The simulation showed that Tofua Island would have experienced waves over 30 meters high, but as it is uninhabited these have not claimed any lives.

However, Nuku’alofa — Tonga’s capital and largest city — only experienced waves up to about 56 feet (17 m), despite being only 40 miles (64 km) south of the eruption.

The researchers think the difference in wave size between Tofua and Tongapatu, the island where Nuku’alofa is located, is partly due to their geography.

While the former is in deep waters, the latter is surrounded by shoals that acted as wave traps as there is less water to move.

First author Dr. Sam Purkis told Nature that shallow reef platforms in the Tonga archipelago probably also acted as a barrier against the waves.

“That’s a blessing and a curse,” he told the publication.

This is because they not only disperse the energy of larger waves, but also act as a trap for smaller waves, allowing them to bounce around longer and grow larger.

The team also says the lack of tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased assessment exercises and awareness-raising efforts in Tonga will also have reduced casualties.

At the same time, the simulation proved that if the eruption had occurred closer to more populated areas, the devastation would have been massive.

“While 2022 may have been a lucky escape, other submarine volcanoes have the potential to spawn a future tsunami on the same scale,” said Dr Purkis.

“This eruption holds important lessons for both past and future tsunami in Tonga and beyond.

“The eruption was an excellent natural laboratory to test hypotheses and models that can be deployed elsewhere to improve future disaster preparedness and better understand similar eruptions and subsequent tsunamis as preserved in antiquity and in the geological record.”