The Hunga TongaHunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga on January 15th produced a large and destructive tsunami through a new volcanic eruption. It is now a month later, and us scientists are beginning to understand just exactly how this eruption occurred, and the extent of the explosion. Scientists now believe that this event would be best classified as a new type of volcanic eruption, especially due to the unusually tall eruption plume it generated, which reached more than halfway into space. This new eruption type might be called a "Ha'apaian eruption", although it is still up for debate.

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Volcanic ash advisory center:
http://vaac.metservice.com/
For information on potential ash advisories of this volcano, select the Wellington center.

Special Thanks to: @alakihihifo

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Graphics of eruption dates are courtesy of the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institute. https://volcano.si.edu/

Thumbnail Photo Credit: NOAA, Colorized with Hotspot.ai commercial credits

0:00 Hunga Tonga Volcano Eruption
0:50 Halfway into Space
1:43 Why the Eruption Plume was so Tall
2:48 900 Year Cycle
3:08 Caldera Collapse
3:47 Recent Earthquakes

Google Earth imagery used in this video: ©Google & Data Providers

Satellite Video/Photo Credit: NOAA, NASA, GOES WEST 17, Public Domain & Japan Meteorological Agency, CC BY 4.0I