An undersea volcano in Tonga, a southern The Pacific Securities Co.Ltd(601099) island country, erupted on the 14th and again on the 15th.
Several satellites captured the moment of volcanic eruption: the sea surface "exploded" in a large area, and the huge ripples spread rapidly outward.
Affected by the volcanic eruption, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Japan and other countries have issued tsunami warnings. According to the latest statement of the tsunami early warning center, according to all available data, the tsunami threat caused by the Tonga volcanic eruption has passed, but when it can safely resume normal activities, it should continue to monitor.
20 km high volcanic ash column shrouds the sky
According to the people's daily, the hongaha ApaI Island, 65 kilometers north of nukoalofa, the capital of Tonga, began to erupt on the morning of the 14th and erupted again on the afternoon of the 15th. The volcanic eruption caused a large amount of volcanic ash, gas and water vapor to enter the upper air to form huge clouds, the volcanic ash column is about 5km in diameter and 20km high, covering the volcano .
The volcano started on December 20, 2021 and erupted continuously for several days. In 2015, hongaha ApaI island volcano also erupted.
After the eruption of the volcano on the 14th, all government departments in Tonga were closed, Tonga national Tsunami Warning Center issued a national tsunami warning . After the volcano erupted again on the 15th, Tonga's national Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning again, and called on people to stay away from beaches and low-lying coastal areas .
Tonga Meteorological Bureau said that Tonga is threatened by tsunami, rainstorm, flood and strong wind . The volcano erupted on the 15th, causing seawater to pour back. the main streets of Nukualofa, the capital, were flooded, and many buildings were flooded.
According to foreign media reports, after the submarine volcanic eruption, the shock wave quickly spread to the surrounding islands. Videos taken by residents show that the sound like thunder can be heard in Fiji more than 800 kilometers away .
In an interview with Australian media ABC on January 16, Richard aculus, an honorary professor at the Australian National University, said that the volcanic activity on Tonga Hong aha ApaI island may last for weeks or months, and it is difficult to predict whether or when it will erupt again .
Tonga in "isolated island" state
For the tsunami caused by the underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga, experts said that the hongaha ApaI island volcano is part of the highly active volcanic arc in Tonga kmadek islands. It has erupted many times in history, but this eruption is unusual and very rare.
The volcano erupted many times in late 2014 and early 2015, which paralyzed Tonga's air traffic at that time.
David taping, former chief geologist of the kingdom of Tonga, said: "I have lived in Tonga for 5 years and engaged in The Pacific Securities Co.Ltd(601099) tsunami research for 40 years. Although we know that there will be a tsunami in Tonga and the area of The Pacific Securities Co.Ltd(601099) , there has never been a tsunami caused by volcanic eruption or such a violent volcanic eruption before. So I am very surprised."
A report from China Central Television earlier showed that the whole Tonga communication is still paralyzed . The reporter has failed to contact the Chinese and overseas Chinese in Tonga for many times, Tonga is in an "isolated island" state . Because the volcanic eruption affected submarine cables, the communication of the whole country was greatly affected.
Due to poor communication, there is no exact report of casualties and losses. Tonga tabu island is covered with large amounts of volcanic ash, making it difficult for aircraft and ships to reach Tonga. In addition, Tonga volcanic ash pollutes the local water source, and the disaster situation is not optimistic.
Multi Country tsunami warning
On the 15th, the volcano erupted with great power, and the sea water activity in some areas of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and other countries was abnormal. These countries urgently issued a tsunami warning.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for some areas such as the Amami islands on the 16th. This is the first tsunami warning issued by Japan since November 2016. as of the morning of the 16th, the maximum wave height caused by the tsunami off the coast of Japan appeared near Yamei City, Kagoshima Prefecture, its wave height was about 1.2 meters ; In most other The Pacific Securities Co.Ltd(601099) coastal areas, waves are less than 1m . The tsunami had little overall impact on Japan. As of the morning of the 16th, a total of 230000 people in 8 counties of the country had issued "asylum instructions", and only one person was slightly injured during asylum. 10 fishing boats capsized in Kochi county and 5 fishing boats capsized in Tokushima county.
The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted the tsunami warning from Hokkaido to Okinawa at 2 p.m. local time, Tokyo Broadcasting Corporation (TBS) reported on the 16th.
The Australian meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning immediately after the eruption of Tonga volcano, covering many states and islands along the eastern coast of Australia. The Australian Meteorological Bureau said on the 16th that the shock wave propagation speed of the volcanic eruption exceeded 1000 kilometers per hour, and the atmospheric pressure in Australia changed significantly. data show that the wave height near Norfolk Island is 1.72 meters, and the wave height in the gold coast is 0.82 meters.
The national emergency office under the Ministry of the interior of Chile issued a tsunami warning to most coastal areas and islands of The Pacific Securities Co.Ltd(601099) on the 15th, evacuating people on the coast and beach. Chile's naval hydrology and oceanography bureau announced that iquik and other places in the north of the country encountered nearly 2m high waves , and Chile is not affected at present. Chilean authorities will continue to monitor the changes of sea tides through 47 monitoring stations along the coast.
According to all available data, the tsunami threat caused by the Tonga volcanic eruption has passed , China Central Television News quoted Agence France Presse reported on the 6th. The statement pointed out: "the government of the affected coastal areas should monitor to determine when normal activities can be safely resumed".
