Huge ash cloud: Watch the eruption of Tonga volcano

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A huge eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga, over the weekend caused a variety of phenomena that were felt in many places and far from the small island state. Prof. Yishai Weinstein from the Department of Geography at Bar-Ilan University, told how much of an unusual event this is and what its consequences are.

A huge eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga, over the weekend caused a variety of phenomena that were felt in many places and far from the small island state. Prof. Yishai Weinstein from the Department of Geography at Bar-Ilan University told Michal Reshef in Here News’ how much of an unusual event this is and what its consequences are.

Tonga, is an island nation in the South Pacific, between New Zealand and Hawaii. An underwater volcano is located near the state, below the ocean floor. It erupts underwater and can emit large amounts of volcanic ash.

Last Saturday, tsunami waves crashed on the coast of Tonga, raising the water level off the coast of Peru and the Pacific coast in the United States.

As the tsunami threat around the Pacific Ocean from the submarine eruption began to subside on Sunday, a huge ash cloud covered the Pacific island nation of Tonga, preventing surveillance flights from New Zealand to determine the extent of the damage.

Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, “suffered significant damage”, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, adding that there were no reports of injuries or deaths but a full assessment could not yet be made due to disabled communication lines.

Science volcano researcher Robin George Andrews told Al Jazeera that underwater volcanoes like Tonga, erupting so explosively about once every 1,000 years. “There was a huge explosion, which scientists think is one event every 1,000 years for this type of volcano,” he said. “It’s not exactly clear what caused the tsunami immediately after this huge explosion. Whether it was part of the volcano that collapsed into the water, or it was an underwater explosion, or a combination of both.”

In California, the city of Santa Cruz was hit by floods due to a tidal wave created by the tsunami, Peru closed 22 ports as a precaution. In addition, waves of almost 1.2 meters hit along the shores of the Pacific Ocean of Japan.

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