This continuous footage, taken from GOES-17 satellite images, captures the formation of an umbrella cloud caused by the submerged eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on January 15, 2022. The video also shows crescent-shaped bow shock waves and numerous lightning strikes. Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, Joshua Stevens using imagery from NOAA and NESDIS.
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano in 2022 under the ocean demonstrated the devastating power of submarine volcanic flows. These flows not only severed deep-sea communication cables but also significantly altered the ocean floor’s topography, posing threats up to 100 kilometers away from the eruption site.
In 2022, the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano’s underwater eruption initiated rapid and destructive submarine debris flows. These flows disrupted telecommunication lines and modified the ocean floor’s landscape. This eruption represents one of the initial field studies documenting the impact of large amounts of volcanic material discharged directly into the ocean, providing fresh perspectives on the nature and dangers of submerged volcanoes.
Understanding Submerged Volcanic Eruptions
Terrestrial volcanic eruptions produce pyroclastic flows of hot ash and rock. When these flows enter the sea, they can cause harmful tsunamis, surges, and turbidity currents, endangering underwater infrastructure and marine life. Despite the prevalence of underwater volcanoes, the dynamics of explosive underwater eruptions remain largely unknown, limiting our understanding of their associated risks.
The image of the Hunga eruption comes from NOAA’s GOES-17 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA
Research Insights into the Hunga Eruption
Michael Clare and his team have been working to understand the underwater volcaniclastic flows from Tonga’s 2022 Hunga eruption. This event led to the destruction of approximately 200 kilometers of crucial undersea telecommunication cables. Their research, integrating data from cable breakage timings, bathymetric surveys, eruption observations, and rock core samples, showed that the material from the eruption collapsed into the ocean vertically, creating a fast-moving, highly destructive submarine debris flow.
Their research indicates that the submarine density current traveled over 100 kilometers along the ocean floor, reaching speeds up to 122 kilometers per hour (76 miles per hour). This volcanoclastic flow drastically changed the ocean floor’s topography around the Hunga volcano, forming scours and channels over 100 meters (330 feet) deep. Such formations, common around many submerged volcanoes, suggest that significant underwater flows have happened during major eruptions in various global locations.
Implications for Future Risk Assessments
Rebecca Williams and Pete Rowley highlight in a related Perspective that “the Hunga volcano will be crucial in enhancing our understanding of the risks posed by undersea and shallow-water volcanoes to the submarine environment and essential seafloor infrastructure.”
Reference: “Fast and destructive density currents created by ocean-entering volcanic eruptions” by Michael A. Clare, Isobel A. Yeo, and others, published on 7 September 2023 in Science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adi3038
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about underwater volcanic eruption
What caused the formation of an umbrella cloud on January 15, 2022?
The umbrella cloud was formed by the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, as captured in a series of GOES-17 satellite images.
How did the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption impact undersea infrastructure?
The eruption triggered destructive submarine volcanic flows that severed undersea communication cables and transformed the seafloor, posing risks over 100 km from the eruption site.
What are the challenges in understanding underwater volcanic eruptions?
Underwater volcanic eruptions remain poorly understood, which limits knowledge of the risks they pose, especially since most of Earth’s volcanoes are underwater.
What were the findings of the research on the 2022 Hunga eruption?
The research indicated that the submarine density current from the eruption traveled over 100 km across the seafloor at high speeds, dramatically altering the seafloor topography.
Why is the Hunga volcano significant for future risk assessment?
The Hunga volcano serves as a vital case study for understanding the risks posed by undersea and shallow-water volcanoes to the submarine environment and critical seafloor infrastructure.
More about underwater volcanic eruption
- NASA Earth Observatory: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Eruption
- NOAA Satellite and Information Service
- Science Magazine: Volcanic Eruptions Research
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
4 comments
Wow, this is some crazy stuff! I never knew underwater volcanos could be so destructive… Makes you think twice about what’s happening beneath the ocean surface, right?
The images from the GOES-17 satellite are just mind blowing! Shows the power of nature in full force. But i gotta say, the technical details here are a bit hard to follow for a layperson like me.
I’m curious about the long-term impacts on marine life. This eruption must’ve had a huge effect on the ecosystem down there, right? Would love to see more research on that.
Interesting article, but I think there’s more to explore here. Like, how do we even begin to prepare for these kind of events? It’s not something we usually hear about.