General Volcanic Activity Thread!

[SnowBear]

12 minutes ago, crimsone said:

 

Follow up Tweet by Lola... 

Lola, 4h, Replying to, @MichaelFieldNZ and @NZAirForce

Why aren't we rescuing people. This seems so strange

Errr, Ash cloud had to clear for aircraft, non usable airstrip, Islands are very remote, ships 3 days away, uncertainty of further volcanic activity. 

Any response will be quicker than in the past when it could have been weeks before contact remade and help arrive. 

Not sure what Lola is expecting, perhaps she could divulge her obviously higher knowledge in doing things better or quicker? Lol

 

[crimsone]

25 minutes ago, SnowBear said:

Follow up Tweet by Lola... 

Lola, 4h, Replying to, @MichaelFieldNZ and @NZAirForce

Why aren't we rescuing people. This seems so strange

Errr, Ash cloud had to clear for aircraft, non usable airstrip, Islands are very remote, ships 3 days away, uncertainty of further volcanic activity. 

Any response will be quicker than in the past when it could have been weeks before contact remade and help arrive. 

Not sure what Lola is expecting, perhaps she could divulge her obviously higher knowledge in doing things better or quicker? Lol

 

Another issue is that Tonga doesn't have Covid. It may or may not want boots on the ground at the moment.

"But the government has also stressed the need to retain its virtually Covid-free status. Tonga was one of the last countries in the world to record a case of Covid-19 after a traveller from New Zealand tested positive while in quarantine in October, triggering a national lockdown. It remains the only confirmed case in the country. The government has held talks with Australian and New Zealand officials regarding the imposition of strict protocols for humanitarian workers. It is expected to waive the 21-day quarantine period for aid workers."
 

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"Tonga's deputy head of mission in Australia, Curtis Tu'ihalangingie, said Tonga was concerned about the risk of aid deliveries spreading COVID-19 to the island, which is COVID-free.

"We don't want to bring in another wave - a tsunami of COVID-19," Tu'ihalangingie told Reuters by telephone.

"When people see such a huge explosion they want to help," he said, but added Tonga diplomats were also concerned by some private fundraising efforts and urged the public to wait until a disaster relief fund was announced."
 

Distress signal prompts U.N. concern after Tonga volcanic eruption

WWW.REUTERS.COM

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A distress signal has been detected in an isolated, low-lying group of islands in the Tonga archipelago following Saturday's massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, the United Nations said, prompting particular...

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by crimsone

[crimsone]

News report from NZ on the Tonga situation from an hour ago. A web tool tells me it's not geoblocked (unlike the website), so fingers crossed.
 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by crimsone

[Downburst]

From Friday to today. Sulphur Dioxide, the main solar heat absorber. Could very well cool the region around there over the coming months and will no doubt provide extraordinary sunsets. But not expected large enough at this stage to have a global impact. Terrible to hear about the loss of life.

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

 

Today

[Jo Farrow]

20 hours ago, crimsone said:

For those of you using google chrome (or another browser that'll translate), this article was very recently posted by Dr Janine Krippner - 

La grande eruzione del vulcano Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai - INGVvulcani

INGVVULCANI.COM

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Una nube simile a un fungo atomico, detonazioni fino a migliaia di chilometri, tsunami. E' l' eruzione del vulcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai

 

She is worth following on Twitter @janinekrippner (writes in English)

[Snowyowl9]

Tonga reveals 50 FOOT tsunami destroyed ALL houses on one island while just two are left on another in 'unprecedented disaster' as death toll climbs to three and new pictures reveal extent of devastation

At least three people have died and 'a number' are injured after Tonga eruption and tsunami, government says

Dead include 65-year-old on Mango Island, 49-year-old on Nomuka, and Briton, 50, found dead on Monday 

Entire village has been washed away on Mango Island, with just two buildings left standing on Fonoifua island

Eruption severed underwater internet cable so communication from Tonga has been sparse, with fears growing for hundreds of people who live on smaller islands who have been cut off since the disaster 

Holey moley this is historic...

Many more deaths unaccounted for here of course all swept out to sea...

Tonga eruption: 50ft tsunami destroyed entire village as death toll rises | Daily Mail Online

WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

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At least three people have died and 'a number' are injured, the Tongan government has said, as it gave its first update on the situation since a devastating eruption and tsunami hit on Saturday.

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by Snowyowl9

[SnowBear]

High end VEI 6?

[Ross90]

31 minutes ago, SnowBear said:

High end VEI 6?

The plume probably puts it as a 6 but it was quite short lived, i'd be surprised if it ejected more than 10km³ of material. 

[SnowThunder]

55 minutes ago, Snowyowl9 said:

Tonga reveals 50 FOOT tsunami destroyed ALL houses on one island while just two are left on another in 'unprecedented disaster' as death toll climbs to three and new pictures reveal extent of devastation

 

Surprised the immediate death toll isn't higher if the Tsunami was so high in certain areas as there's not a lot of high ground on those pacific islands

Is the shortlived activity of the eruption common for undersea volcano's ? Or is it precursor for another eruption once sufficient pressure builds up again in the magma chamber ?

[summer blizzard]

55 minutes ago, SnowBear said:

High end VEI 6?

Low and probably not. 

Data suggests that this was more likely a strong VEI5 as things stand.

11 minutes ago, SnowThunder said:

Surprised the immediate death toll isn't higher if the Tsunami was so high in certain areas as there's not a lot of high ground on those pacific islands

Is the shortlived activity of the eruption common for undersea volcano's ? Or is it precursor for another eruption once sufficient pressure builds up again in the magma chamber ?

This volcano has been in an active phase for the past decade or so, chances are this is as large as the eruption gets and any future eruptions will be vent building rather than incredibly explosive.

In terms of local impacts around Australia I do wonder if higher SOI concentration could discourage the warm anomolies close to the equator, prolonging the Nina event.

Edited January 18, 2022 by summer blizzard

[SnowBear]

1 hour ago, summer blizzard said:

Low and probably not. 

Data suggests that this was more likely a strong VEI5 as things stand.

This volcano has been in an active phase for the past decade or so, chances are this is as large as the eruption gets and any future eruptions will be vent building rather than incredibly explosive.

In terms of local impacts around Australia I do wonder if higher SOI concentration could discourage the warm anomolies close to the equator, prolonging the Nina event.

Yeah, just been reading up, it's a mid to high 5, maybe a 6 due to material ejected. Short sharp rather than extended eruption. 

[matty40s]

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, SnowBear said:

High end VEI 6?

Definitely not, that’s Lake Ilopango territory. This will between St Helens and Krakatoa. The eruption wasn’t long enough or violent enough to match Krakatoa. Mid VEI territory at most. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Snowyowl9 said:

Tonga reveals 50 FOOT tsunami destroyed ALL houses on one island while just two are left on another in 'unprecedented disaster' as death toll climbs to three and new pictures reveal extent of devastation

At least three people have died and 'a number' are injured after Tonga eruption and tsunami, government says

Dead include 65-year-old on Mango Island, 49-year-old on Nomuka, and Briton, 50, found dead on Monday 

Entire village has been washed away on Mango Island, with just two buildings left standing on Fonoifua island

Eruption severed underwater internet cable so communication from Tonga has been sparse, with fears growing for hundreds of people who live on smaller islands who have been cut off since the disaster 

Holey moley this is historic...

Many more deaths unaccounted for here of course all swept out to sea...

Tonga eruption: 50ft tsunami destroyed entire village as death toll rises | Daily Mail Online

WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

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At least three people have died and 'a number' are injured, the Tongan government has said, as it gave its first update on the situation since a devastating eruption and tsunami hit on Saturday.

 

Not surprised, there’s no way a pacific wide tsunami only generates 4ft locally unless it’s topography is extremely favourable. I suspect the death toll will quickly mount in the next few days now unfortunately. 

[Guest]

NASA estimates Tonga blast at ~10mega tonnes and possibly the loudest noise since 1883.

 

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Edited January 18, 2022 by Alderc

[crimsone]

The 50 foot thing is likely the run-up height, not the wave height.

[Jo Farrow]

 "Six passages of the #TongaVolcano shock wave have now been detected in the UK, although the amplitude much less in the latest passages. It is now on its third circuit of the globe!" 

[reef]

49 minutes ago, Jo Farrow said:

"Six passages of the #TongaVolcano shock wave have now been detected in the UK, although the amplitude much less in the latest passages. It is now on its third circuit of the globe!" 

Yes, still noticeable on my Davis barometer readings too:

[SnowBear]

Interesting on the barograph readings. 

This is from records on Krakatoa.. 

Pressure wave

The pressure wave generated by the colossal third explosion radiated out from Krakatoa at 1,086 km/h (675 mph). The eruption is estimated to have reached 310 dB, loud enough to be heard 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) away.[10]: 248  It was so powerful that it ruptured the eardrums of sailors 64 km (40 miles) away on ships in the Sunda Strait,[10]: 235  and caused a spike of more than 8.5 kilopascals (2.5 inHg) in pressure gauges 160 km (100 miles) away, attached to gasometers in the Batavia gasworks, sending them off the scale.

The pressure wave was recorded on barographs all over the world. Several barographs recorded the wave seven times over the course of five days: four times with the wave travelling away from the volcano to its antipodal point, and three times travelling back to the volcano.[7]: 63  Hence, the wave rounded the globe three and a half times. Ash was propelled to an estimated height of 80 km (50 mi).

Source: Wikipedia

This one seems to have reached 39km, 24miles or 128,000 feet. 

[The PIT]

4 hours ago, reef said:

Yes, still noticeable on my Davis barometer readings too:

Too much noise here to spot it plenty of other ups and downs of equal measure.

[toggerob]

 

[SnowBear]

Tonga eruption: we are watching for ripples of it in space

THECONVERSATION.COM

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Volcanic eruptions can wreak havoc in the upper atmosphere.

 

 

[SnowBear]

Source: Volcano Discovery

[SnowBear]

First plane carrying aid lands in Tonga, what a fantastic effort by the people at the airport to clear that runway, pretty much by hand with shovels and wheelbarrows. 

Aid being brought in is under strict no contact policy to try to prevent transmission of Sars-Cov2, so although under normal circumstances they could bring in loads of personnel to help in the effort, all we can do safely at the moment is provide the kit they need such as water, medical supplies, food and so on, and they have to do the rest themselves. 

More planes due today, and ships on the way which I believe are due tomorrow. 

I am hoping in those supplies is the vaccines required to get the Tonga population vaccinated so in the coming weeks/months they can use disaster relief workers as well as the supplies. 

Tonga: First foreign aid plane from New Zealand arrives

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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New Zealand and Australia are sending water and supplies, after ash was cleared from the runway.

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by SnowBear
Spelling

[Snowyowl9]

Scientists are racing to understand a puzzling series of massive ripples in Earth’s atmosphere triggered by the eruption of the Tongan volcano at the weekend.

Satellite data shows that the event — which some fear might have devastated the Pacific-island nation — provoked an unusual pattern of atmospheric gravity waves. Previous volcanic eruptions have not produced such a signal, leaving experts stumped.

“It’s really unique. We have never seen anything like this in the data before,” says Lars Hoffmann, an atmospheric scientist at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany.

https://strangesounds.org/2022/01/tonga-volcano-eruption-creates-mysterious-and-puzzling-concentric-ripples-in-earths-atmosphere.html

In theory, the rapid updraft of hot air and ash from an erupting volcano into the upper atmosphere could trigger gravity waves on a much larger scale. But nothing like this has been observed with previous eruptions analysed since the AIRS instrument was launched in May 2002.

“That’s what’s really puzzling us,” says Corwin Wright, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Bath, UK. “It must have something to do with the physics of what’s going on, but we don’t know what yet.”

Good grief...We see this all the time we re so puzzled.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Snowyowl9