277-The Birth of a New Island

NASA Shows New Tongan Island Made of Tuff Stuff, Likely to Persist Years – NASA.

In late December 2014 into early 2015, a submarine volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga erupted, sending a violent stream of steam, ash and rock into the air. When the ash finally settled in January 2015, a newborn island with a 400-foot summit nestled between two older islands – visible to satellites in space.

The newly formed Tongan island, unofficially known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai after its neighbors, was initially projected to last a few months. Now it has a 6- to 30-year lease on life, according to a new NASA study.

At the end of December 2021 a new eruption started and new land is being made again. The satellite images and footage seem to show the new eruptions are to the South side of the combined island.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on January 15th produced a large and destructive tsunami through a new volcanic eruption. This tsunami occurred due to partial edifice collapse, as the southeast flank of the volcano had become structurally unstable. The tsunami originated after a powerful volcanic explosion which sent a plume of ash more than 20,000 meters or 66,000 feet into the atmosphere. What had just occurred was likely the most powerful volcanic eruption in a decade. This video will separate fact from fiction, and discuss the tsunami, how it occurred, and what might happen next at Hunga Tonga. It is a very famous volcano as it has produced several spectacular island forming eruptions in the 21st century.