How is Tonga after the tsunami?
The massive eruption of an underwater volcano caused tidal waves in the Pacific Ocean. It remains unclear how hard the island nation has been hit.
A volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean has triggered tsunami warnings.
Video: tamedia
the A massive volcanic eruption from a submarine near the island of Tonga has sent tidal waves across much of the Pacific Ocean.. It was recorded not only in Tonga, but also in New Zealand, Japan and Fiji. Flooding in Santa Cruz, California, has also been attributed to the outbreak.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has given all the clarity for now and the Japan Meteorological Agency has also lifted its earlier tsunami warning. However, it is currently not entirely clear what damage the underwater earthquake has caused in Tonga.
According to the Australian Meteorological Service, the wave that hit Nuku’alofa, the capital of the archipelago, was about 120 centimeters high. The British BBC, citing images from social networks, reported that water was flowing through a church and several houses in Nuku’alofa. In addition, residents of especially low-lying areas tried to save themselves from the tsunami with their cars. According to media reports, the sixth king of Tonga Tubu. Brought to safety by the royal palace.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned”. The United Nations is monitoring the situation closely and is ready to help at any time. “The United States stands ready to provide support to our Pacific neighbors,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken wrote on Twitter.
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, which is located about 2,400 kilometers south of the archipelago, reported the situation at a press conference. We still know very little, the prime minister said. Tonga was covered in volcanic dust as a result of the volcanic eruption, and connection to the island kingdom in the South Pacific was restricted due to damage to one of the undersea cables. There were major blackouts on the island, and cell phones only worked intermittently.
It is clear, however, that the tsunami “hard hit” the capital of Tonga. Boats and rocks drifted ashore and buildings were damaged. The New Zealand Army will attempt to launch a reconnaissance flight on Monday. Flying is currently considered extremely unsafe because the ash was seen at an altitude of approximately 20 kilometers.
Stunning satellite images show the extent of the volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean. (January 15, 2022)
Photo: Keystone
Tonga is located on the so-called Ring of Fire, which is formed about 40 thousand km in a circle around the Pacific lake region, where there are 450 spit craters, which is about 75 percent of all known volcanoes around the world. Contiguous tectonic plates push the Pacific lake plate into the Earth’s interior. There the rock warms up and turns into magma.
The volcano has been named Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai, and has been active since December. It is located about 30 kilometers southeast of the island of Fonuafo’ou in Tonga, also known as Falcon Island. Saturday’s eruption was apparently so violent that tremors can also be felt up to 800 km away in the Fiji Islands. As a tidal wave reached there, ash fell.
“What happened there is what we call an offensive eruption. When magma meets a large amount of water, the resulting water vapor can be up to a thousand times the volume of water and cause massive pressure waves,” explains volcanologist Tim Yilmaz from Munich.
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