Dark Orange said:

Kingy said:

No thread on ginormously humungous volcano asplotion?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tonga-volcano-could-erupt-again-says-expert-who-visited-the-site/100759390

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tsunami-threat-reduced-from-huge-pacific-volcanic-eruption/100759626

Apparently not.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/s4uo5e/tonga_eruption_as_seen_in_infrared_satellite_data/

https://www.reddit.com/r/educationalgifs/comments/s4k0uf/how_violent_volcano_eruption_looks_from_space/

Dat Shockwave tho.

From chat. There’s other discussion in last night’s chat.

Also: Magnitude 5.8 eruption.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000gc8r/executive

Michael V said:

Dark Orange said:

Kingy said:

No thread on ginormously humungous volcano asplotion?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tonga-volcano-could-erupt-again-says-expert-who-visited-the-site/100759390

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tsunami-threat-reduced-from-huge-pacific-volcanic-eruption/100759626

Apparently not.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/s4uo5e/tonga_eruption_as_seen_in_infrared_satellite_data/

https://www.reddit.com/r/educationalgifs/comments/s4k0uf/how_violent_volcano_eruption_looks_from_space/

Dat Shockwave tho.

From chat. There’s other discussion in last night’s chat.

Also: Magnitude 5.8 eruption.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000gc8r/executive

See also:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/how-the-volcanic-eruption-near-tonga-unfolded/100759528

Michael V said:

Dark Orange said:

Kingy said:

No thread on ginormously humungous volcano asplotion?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tonga-volcano-could-erupt-again-says-expert-who-visited-the-site/100759390

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/tsunami-threat-reduced-from-huge-pacific-volcanic-eruption/100759626

Apparently not.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/s4uo5e/tonga_eruption_as_seen_in_infrared_satellite_data/

https://www.reddit.com/r/educationalgifs/comments/s4k0uf/how_violent_volcano_eruption_looks_from_space/

Dat Shockwave tho.

From chat. There’s other discussion in last night’s chat.

Also: Magnitude 5.8 eruption.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000gc8r/executive

I did think I should make a thread. But couldn’t decide how to frame it. SO I dumped the news in chat.

we went to the beach but didn’t see big waves

SCIENCE said:

we went to the beach but didn’t see big waves

Oh good. I was hoping that somebody would start a thread aboiut the Tonga volcano.

“Tsunami waves caused by an undersea volcano have flooded Tonga”.

Volcanic eruption seen from space by several satellites. The plume in this image is huge, about 1/3 as wide across as a hurricane.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/hunga-tonga-haapai-volcano-eruption-tsunami-warnings/100759488

“What is Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai?

“Technically, the volcano that erupted at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai is classified as an underwater volcano,but the vent or crater of the volcano is above water. It sits nested in between two landmasses, Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai.”

“ it’s been fairly active in the last 15 years. A 2015 eruption made headlines after its ash cloud forced several airlines to cancel flights in and out of Tonga.”

“pumice, will be washing up on the Australian east coast in the months ahead.”

So, collect some pumice and you’ll be able to label it “souvenir of Tonga”.

Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

I blame the geophysicists

dv said:

I blame the geophysicists

Should we put a few in gaol?

dv said:

I blame the geophysicists

Yeah, their prediction skills are even worse than the dart throwers.

sibeen said:

dv said:

I blame the geophysicists

Should we put a few in gaol?

Deport them?

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

I blame the geophysicists

Yeah, their prediction skills are even worse than the dart throwers.

It’s complicated.

JudgeMental said:

Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

Ta. That’s what I thought might have happened, too.

It’ll be interesting to see if any of the above-water landmass still exists. It’ll also be interesting to see whether there are any more eruptions in the sequence.

Eruptions like this are recorded in Lachlan Fold Belt rocks in eastern Australia.

JudgeMental said:

Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

Thanks for this. Very interesting.

Will this have weather effects for the Pacific region/Southern Hemisphere/whole earth? I’ve just reread a book on Tambora. It didn’t cover any effects here in Australia, mostly the year without a Summer in Europe, the melting of Arctic ice, the messing up of the ocean currents in the Atlantic and effects in North America. I suppose 1816 didn’t have a lot of Europeans in Australia and I’ve not heard of any Aboriginal stories about such things. Although you would think there probably were, as there were stories passed down in this district about the volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago.

3m ago 15:11

MartySilk (MartySilkHack) NEW: All passengers and crew who were on an Air Calin flight from Tokyo to Noumea have been placed in hotel quarantine in Brisbane after their plane had to be diverted due to the ash cloud from the eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga on the weekend

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/volcanic-ash-creates-eerie-sunrise-in-queensland/100760792

I missed it. But it may hang around for a day or few. Like Pinatubo did.

Michael V said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/volcanic-ash-creates-eerie-sunrise-in-queensland/100760792

I missed it. But it may hang around for a day or few. Like Pinatubo did.

Colourful. If its windy it will blow away.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Michael V said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/volcanic-ash-creates-eerie-sunrise-in-queensland/100760792

I missed it. But it may hang around for a day or few. Like Pinatubo did.

Colourful. If its windy it will blow away.

Depends how high it has gone I suppose. And if it just does a circle of the globe and reappears for another round.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Michael V said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/volcanic-ash-creates-eerie-sunrise-in-queensland/100760792

I missed it. But it may hang around for a day or few. Like Pinatubo did.

Colourful. If its windy it will blow away.

You can see the ash cloud on this page. Run the movie, and starting at 11:20 am, the sun reflects off it.

Michael V said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Michael V said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/volcanic-ash-creates-eerie-sunrise-in-queensland/100760792

I missed it. But it may hang around for a day or few. Like Pinatubo did.

Colourful. If its windy it will blow away.

You can see the ash cloud on this page. Run the movie, and starting at 11:20 am, the sun reflects off it.

Must be lower-level winds that do that, (almost) all the upper-level stuff goes west to east.

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Colourful. If its windy it will blow away.

You can see the ash cloud on this page. Run the movie, and starting at 11:20 am, the sun reflects off it.

Must be lower-level winds that do that, (almost) all the upper-level stuff goes west to east.

What height/air pressure do you mean by “upper-level”?

Using this, 70 hPa and 10 hPa show winds in that region going east to west.

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/70hPa/orthographic=-223.88,-28.78,990/loc=153.100,-25.932

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

You can see the ash cloud on this page. Run the movie, and starting at 11:20 am, the sun reflects off it.

Must be lower-level winds that do that, (almost) all the upper-level stuff goes west to east.

What height/air pressure do you mean by “upper-level”?

Using this, 70 hPa and 10 hPa show winds in that region going east to west.

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/70hPa/orthographic=-223.88,-28.78,990/loc=153.100,-25.932

Weird. Most of the flying I did in the 747 was between 29,000’ to 39,000’ – ~300 hPa to ~200 hPa – and as best I can remember the winds up there were almost always west to east.

An example, from our own BOM.

This is from today

And again from today.

It seems that the pretty globe wind link is telling porkies perhaps.

Ash plume now in the stratosphere over Queensland, some will enjoy a dramatic sunset.

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

Must be lower-level winds that do that, (almost) all the upper-level stuff goes west to east.

What height/air pressure do you mean by “upper-level”?

Using this, 70 hPa and 10 hPa show winds in that region going east to west.

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/70hPa/orthographic=-223.88,-28.78,990/loc=153.100,-25.932

Weird. Most of the flying I did in the 747 was between 29,000’ to 39,000’ – ~300 hPa to ~200 hPa – and as best I can remember the winds up there were almost always west to east.

Yesterday, it was indicated that the plume rose to 20,000 m so, about 65000’.

The Tonga eruption explained, from tsunami warnings to sonic booms

The volcanic plume generated record amounts of lightning before producing a blast heard thousands of miles away. Here’s what geologists say drove the event—and what may happen next.

more…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/british-womans-body-found-after-tonga-tsunami-distress-beacon/100762800

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-17/tonga-volcano-eruption-hunga-tonga-hunga-ha-apai-tsunami-/100761966

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-16/how-the-volcanic-eruption-near-tonga-unfolded/100759528

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/when-will-tongas-undersea-cable-be-repaired-/100760998

Michael V said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/when-will-tongas-undersea-cable-be-repaired-/100760998

a few weeks at the very least.

Worth watching for the explosions

Still no communication with Tonga.

Zero zip zilch.

Only new item is thew overfly the the New Zealand air force, showing ash covering the main island and signs of tsunami damage.
Given the danger that volcanic ash clouds pose to aircraft, I applaud them.

The tsunami on the main island doesn’t look too serious, very many of the houses closest to the coast were damaged and some destroyed. But even one street back quite a few survived.

Because of the ash and tsunami, aid agencies are concentrating on getting water and shelter there.

The airport is still closed, and we’ll have to wait for it to be reopened before aid can be airlifted in.

Ships are on their way with aid, sailed on Saturday but they still have a long way to sail.

The undersea cables were cut so no internet. No telephone. Contractors hope to repair the undersea cable perhaps as quickly as in a couple more days.

The greatest fear is for low-lying outlying islands. Tonga has “169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited.”.

The original island on which the eruption occurred is no more, about 95% was obliterated leaving only two small islets one at each end.

Because of the complete lack of communications, we have not the slightest idea yet what the death toll will be.

The last communications were in the early minutes after the first part of the eruption.

Map of Tonga.

Height of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption reached 30 km (98 500 feet) a.s.l., Tonga

The data is coming from Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler aboard the Suomi NPP satellite.

https://watchers.news/2022/01/17/height-of-hunga-tonga-hunga-haapai-eruption-30-km/

Who needs poof readers anyway?”

“Authorities confirmed one fatality in Tonga, a 50-year-old British woman2 who died after she was washed away while trying to rescue her dongs.”

Kingy said:

Height of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption reached 30 km (98 500 feet) a.s.l., Tonga

The data is coming from Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler aboard the Suomi NPP satellite.

https://watchers.news/2022/01/17/height-of-hunga-tonga-hunga-haapai-eruption-30-km/

Ta.

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483384039826464768

Thanks for updates from Michael V and Kingy.

mollwollfumble said:

Thanks for updates from Michael V and Kingy.

No worries.

What kind of pressure would have built up under the volcano for it to blow out in such a mega-kablooie?

A million kPa?
10 million?
a billion?

Kingy said:

What kind of pressure would have built up under the volcano for it to blow out in such a mega-kablooie?

A million kPa?
10 million?
a billion?

dv’s your man for such calculations, but he’s out fracking somewhere.

Images from Tonga:

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483741932970983428

Michael V said:

Images from Tonga:

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483741932970983428

I’m waiting for the Greens to start blaming Scomo for the damage.

Tamb said:

Michael V said:

Images from Tonga:

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483741932970983428

I’m waiting for the Greens to start blaming Scomo for the damage.

i’m waiting for ScoMo to spin it into a distraction from the ongoing f***fest he calls a ‘government’.

captain_spalding said:

Tamb said:

Michael V said:

Images from Tonga:

https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483741932970983428

I’m waiting for the Greens to start blaming Scomo for the damage.

i’m waiting for ScoMo to spin it into a distraction from the ongoing f***fest he calls a ‘government’.

That too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoMRwyNhqJ4

Ian said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoMRwyNhqJ4

Thanks.

Note: it is not the subducting plate that is melting (he says it is); it is the over-riding plate that partially melts, fluxed by water driven off the subducting plate.

Michael V said:

Ian said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoMRwyNhqJ4

Thanks.

Note: it is not the subducting plate that is melting (he says it is); it is the over-riding plate that partially melts, fluxed by water driven off the subducting plate.

Noted

:)

Michael V said:

Ian said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoMRwyNhqJ4

Thanks.

Note: it is not the subducting plate that is melting (he says it is); it is the over-riding plate that partially melts, fluxed by water driven off the subducting plate.

Details, details…

buffy said:

Michael V said:

Ian said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoMRwyNhqJ4

Thanks.

Note: it is not the subducting plate that is melting (he says it is); it is the over-riding plate that partially melts, fluxed by water driven off the subducting plate.

Details, details…

Important details, nonetheless.

Oil spill in Peru blamed on tsunami generated by the Tongan volcanic eruption.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-21/peru-s-castillo-decrees-major-oil-spill-environmental-emergency/100771800

Michael V said:

Oil spill in Peru blamed on tsunami generated by the Tongan volcanic eruption.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-21/peru-s-castillo-decrees-major-oil-spill-environmental-emergency/100771800

It took quite a while for that story to emerge.

Ian said:

Michael V said:

Oil spill in Peru blamed on tsunami generated by the Tongan volcanic eruption.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-21/peru-s-castillo-decrees-major-oil-spill-environmental-emergency/100771800

It took quite a while for that story to emerge.

I thought that as well. Maybe their news services are interrupted by Covid?

roughbarked said:

Ian said:

Michael V said:

Oil spill in Peru blamed on tsunami generated by the Tongan volcanic eruption.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-21/peru-s-castillo-decrees-major-oil-spill-environmental-emergency/100771800

It took quite a while for that story to emerge.

I thought that as well. Maybe their news services are interrupted by Covid?

Waiting for an excuse.

Tamb said:

roughbarked said:

Ian said:

It took quite a while for that story to emerge.

I thought that as well. Maybe their news services are interrupted by Covid?

Waiting for an excuse.

Could be?

Mr Castillo blamed the oil company for causing the disaster, saying, “we cannot shy away from responsibilities”.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident and the Peruvian government is demanding the Spanish oil company pay for the damage.

A spokeswoman for La Pampilla refinery, owned by Spanish energy firm Repsol, has said the firm was not responsible for the spill and blamed the Peruvian navy for not issuing a tsunami warning after the Tonga eruption.

Unlike other Pacific countries, Peruvian authorities warned of unusual waves only after the eruption.

Satellites on the other side of the world detected the shock wave as it rippled through the atmosphere. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology showed the shock wave was travelling at more than 1000km/h.

Tools monitoring atmospheric pressure have since detected the shock wave looping around the Earth at least three times.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-22/satellite-data-images-reveal-power-of-tonga-volcano-eruption/100773458

The US Geological Survey reports a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck near the Pacific nation of Tonga. No tsunami threat is reported.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-28/tonga-earthquake-volcanic-eruption/100786950

“Funded by The Nippon Foundation, NIWA and SEA-KIT surveyed over 22,000km2 surrounding the volcano, including mapping 14,000km2 of previously unmapped seafloor as part of The Nippon Foundation GEBCO Seabed 2030 project”

Measured pyroclastic flows underwater for over 80km.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYhCEeIO25k&t=1s

Link

15 min vid.