Hunga Tonga Volcano Update; Caldera Collapse, Eruption went Halfway into Space

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga 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.