On Saturday, a massive volcano in the island kingdom of Tonga erupted with a force not seen since the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. Exact details on the eruption are still coming in, and we will be doing an in-depth story on this eruption later this week. What we know so far is that this mile-high ocean volcano is known to undergo massive eruptions about every 1,000 years, with the last massive eruption taking place between 1040–1180 CE. 

Saturday’s eruption initially ejected material more than fifteen kilometers or nine miles into the atmosphere and triggered a tsunami that caused damage as far away as the west coast of the Americas. Ashfall on the island is many centimeters deep, and this glass-sharp material will be, pound for pound, harder to remove than snow from even the worst nor’easter. 

Details on the situation in Tonga are still scarce; the underwater cable that carries communications to Tonga’s main island was severed in at least two places, and it hasn’t been possible to land airplanes on the ash-covered runway.

While this volcano, from initial reports, was somewhat smaller in eruption than Mount Pinatubo, it was much better documented. Caught by a variety of different satellites, scientists have been watching its shockwaves move through the atmosphere. Again, we will be doing a more detailed report Thursday. For now, we’d like to say this is an ongoing event, and we don’t know what else may be in store, either from additional eruptive outbursts or from related ocean landslides and flank collapses. This is going to make relief efforts a challenge. 

The science is amazing, but this is a populated area of the ocean, and real people are being deeply affected. If you want to learn how you can responsibly donate to relief efforts, please check out our website, DailySpace.org.

More Information

Tonga remains cut off after a massive eruption and tsunami. Here’s what we know. (CNN)

The Tonga eruption explained, from tsunami warnings to sonic booms (National Geographic)