News

ByCharles Q. Choi

 published about 4 hours ago

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/tsunami/1st-mega-tsunami-on-record-since-antiquity-was-triggered-by-tonga-volcanic-eruption

The eruption was the most powerful natural explosion in over a century, triggering a tsunami hundreds of feet high.

• (opens in new tab)
• (opens in new tab)
• (opens in new tab)
• (opens in new tab)
• (opens in new tab)

Comments (0)

The eruption of the underwater Tonga volcano produced a mega-tsunami, scientists have found(Image credit: NASA)

The Tonga underwater volcanic eruption rivaled the strength of the largest U.S. nuclear bomb and produced a “mega-tsunami” nearly the height of a 30-story skyscraper,a recent study finds(opens in new tab).

On Jan. 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano — a large, cone-shaped mountain located near the islands of the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific — erupted with a violent explosion. The eruption generated thehighest-ever recorded volcanic plume, which reached 35 miles (57 kilometers) tall. The…