Tonga: Volcanic Eruption Unleashes Tsunami on Nuku’alofa
A violent eruption on the volcanic island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai on Saturday afternoon January 15, has sent a 1.2 metre tsunami crashing into the island of Tonga and is believed to be responsible for a surge that caused significant damage to Tutukaka Marina on New Zealand’s North Island. News report and on-going updates below.
Published 3 years ago
- Photo: Tonga Geological Services
The eruption occurred at about 3.10pm AEDT and was followed by a 1.2 metre tsunami observed at the capital Nuku’alofa about 20 minutes later.
It comes after the same volcano erupted on Friday, sending ash, steam and gas 20 kilometres into the air, Radio New Zealand reported.
The volcano is located about 30 kilometres south-east of Fonuafo’ou island in Tonga. It has been erupting intermittently since late December.
The head of Tonga Geological Services, Taaniela Kula, told Radio New Zealand Pacific that at 4am on Friday 15 January, an eruption was picked up on satellite.
Kula said the eruption had a radius of 260km and was about seven times more powerful than the last eruption on December 20, 2021.
The Tonga Meteorological Service issued a warning for all of Tonga on Saturday afternoon, after the ongoing underwater volcanic activity since Friday.
The eruption was captured by Himawari-8 Satellite imagery and can be viewed at Weatherwatch.co.nz
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Update: January 16, 2022
Tutukaka Marina on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island has suffered considerable damage with many boats destoyed, according to reports in New Zealand media this morning.
The New Zealand Herald reports that boats have been “completely destroyed” by a wave around 2m higher than the high tide line – believed to be caused by a combination of ex- Tropical Cyclone Cody and the huge volcanic eruption in Tonga.
Civil Defence Northland is warning of further strong surges in coming days, saying “locations that have previously been calm can suddenly experience unpredictable surges”.
Update: January 18, 2022
The Tongan Government has confirmed that in the Ha’apai Islands – Niniva Island, Atatā, Mango, Nomuka and Fonoifua have been extensively damaged. All houses on the island of Mango have been destroyed and only two houses remain on Fonoifua. Mango, Atata, and Fonoifua islands are being evacuated. Water supplies in Tonga are seriously affected.
There has also been significant damage to the western side of the main island of Tongatapu and water supplies, communications infrastructure and sea transport have all been severely impacted.
The Boatyard report that all is well in Vava’u. There was minimal ash fall and the reports are that in the Neiafu harbour and round at Vaipua the water surged within normal high tide ranges. No damages to report so far and no injuries.
New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) report that due to the eruption the world’s highest concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2) is currently over the Pacific. Now, the Fijian government are warning the Pacific nation could experience acidic rainfall.
Update: January 19, 2022
Digicel restored international calls connectivity to Tonga.
Sea Mercy Fiji report that the Pleiades satellite image acquired on 16 January 2022 shows that the caldera of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has collapsed and the island has lost a substantial percentage of its initial surface of 285ha. Damage can also be seen in Nuku’alofa, Uoleva, Nomuka and Uiha with mainly inundated areas and zones with ash deposits. The analysis can be viewed and downloaded at: https://www.unitar.org/maps/map/3433.
The full extent of damage is yet to be fully quantified. Information from outer islands is still very scarce.
Tonga Volcano Recovery – Ongoing Efforts – Sea Mercy
Although there are similarities in Cyclone response efforts, a Volcano (ash) and tsunami add a complicated twist on how best to respond. From the reports we’ve received, the tsunami spared the majority of the homes and buildings. The greatest immediate need is clean drinking water and long-term food production (destroyed or damaged crops from the ash). Sea Mercy’s initial response is preparing our desalination units (solar and generator) to deliver to the areas in need. Once again, every organization wanting to help are battling over the limited service delivery options. When you are able to find them, the costs can be much higher than normal.
With that understanding, the best way to help Sea Mercy’s efforts are through financial donations (shipping and maintenance costs of our desalination units). If you are able to help, please consider a donation at: http://www.seamercy.org/ (donate button on right hand side).
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Related Links:
- Sea Mercy have a good round up of the effects throughout the Pacific following the eruption on their Fiji Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/SeaMercyFJI] and will continue to post updates.
- Their Notes for Cruisers considering responding to a Natural Disaster are also a useful read.
- The Boatyard, Vava’u have the latest updates from Tonga on their Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/boatyardvavau/].
- Shane Cronin Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Auckland, has good commentary on his twitter feed @scronin70 and interesting details about the volcano.
- International Tsunami Warning Center. Subscribe for alerts at https://lists.unesco.org/wws/subscribe/tsunami-information-ioc.
Related News:
- Invisible and Toxic Gas Currently Over the Pacific ( NZ Herald)
- Tongan Government Confirms Houses Destroyed, Death Toll Could Rise (Radio New Zealand)
- Evacuations as Surge from Cyclone Cody and Tonga Eruption destroys boats in Tutukaka, Northland (New Zealand Herald)
- Tongan Tsunami Felt Around the Pacific (Radio New Zealand)
- Tsunami Warning Lifted but Volcano Still Being Monitored (Radio New Zealand)
- Waves Crash Into Homes (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Ash Cloud from Volcanic Eruption Continues to Spread (Radio New Zealand)
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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
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Related to following destinations: Nuku'alofa (Tongatapu), Tonga
Related to the following Cruising Resources: Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Weather
Update from Denarau Marina Fiji 09:00 Sunday 16th January, 2022:
The recent eruptions of the undersea Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano have produced widespread ash clouds covering much of southern and central Lau. It remains unclear if eruptions will continue over the coming hours and days. Tsunami waves associated with the original explosive eruption yesterday afternoon have now dispersed and weakened below hazardous levels, however any future eruptions may cause new tsunami events. Ash and aerosols of elements such as sulphur will linger in the air for some days. Large fields of pumice are likely to cover the sea surface between Tonga and Fiji and may pose a hazard to mariners. Remain alert to the possibility of new eruptions and continue to monitor news from reputable sources for more details and heed advice from DISMAC and local authorities.