Tongan Volcano Poses Questions 

The recent eruption in Tonga did not last long but it has posed several questions which vulcanologists are having difficulty in answering.

THIS ARTICLE reviews the topics. 

• The power of the blast was extraordinary.
  
  
• The amount of ash is small given the size of the blast.
  
  
• The eruption happened underwater but had a plume which reached the stratosphere.
  
  
• The amount of SO₂ ejected is rather low.
  
  
• The eruption sent waves rippling through the oceans and the atmosphere.
  
  

The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai explosion was captured by several Earth-observing satellites.Credit: Visible Earth/NASA

The article tries to give answers for these observations but remarks that the true story will take many years to emerge.