Tonga volcano eruption was the most explosive of the 21st century

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on 15 January 2022 created 90-metre high tsunamis and shot ash 57 kilometres into the sky

Earth



14 December 2022

By Alice Klein

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on 15 January was the most powerful of the 21st century so far.

The volcano, which is 20 kilometres wide at its base and mostly lies underwater north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, erupted with a volcanic explosivity index of 6, making it the most explosive eruption since that of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. The blast shot ash 57 kilometres into the sky.

Tsunami waves caused by the explosion were initially 90 metres high and were still up to 18 metres high by the time they …