ANU Study Details 2022 Tonga Eruption Cause

The massive January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was triggered by an explosion of gas-compressed rock beneath a shallow sea, releasing energy equivalent to five of North Korea's largest nuclear tests in 2017. This finding, published in Geophysical Research Letters by a team from The Australian National University (ANU), challenges the previously held belief that such eruptions were primarily caused by the interaction of hot magma with cold seawater. The explosion sent a plume of gas, steam, and ash high into the atmosphere and generated tsunamis up to 45 meters tall. The research utilized seismic waveform modeling techniques, typically used to study underground explosions, to understand the physical mechanisms involved. The event, one of the largest volcanic explosions since Mount Pinatubo in 1991, has significant implications for future volcanic hazard assessments and preparedness.