How the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted and why it caused tsunami warnings

Deep in the South Pacific near Tonga, the ocean surface suddenly opened. The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted with extraordinary force, sending a vertical column of ash, steam, and volcanic gases tens of kilometers into the atmosphere. From the air, its core glowing orange as superheated material burst upward, while a shockwave spread outward across the ocean surface. What you’re seeing isn’t just smoke. It’s a rapidly expanding plume where seawater, magma, and gas collided. As magma co

4 years ago to the day, on January 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga volcano in the South Pacific unleashed one of the most powerful explosions ever captured on visible satellite imagery. The massive underwater eruption generated a trans-Pacific tsunami, while also producing the largest atmospheric explosion recorded by modern instruments—surpassing any volcanic event or nuclear test in recent history, with shockwaves circling the globe multiple times. Like many, I was able to observe the pressure wave