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The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on 15 January was the most powerful of the 21st century so far.
The volcano, which is 20 kilometres wide at its base and mostly lies underwater north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, erupted with a volcanic explosivity index of 6, making it the most explosive eruption since that of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. The blast shot ash 57 kilometres into the sky.
Tsunami waves caused by the explosion were initially 90 metres high and were still up to 18 metres high by the time they …
