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The volcanic eruption in Tonga was larger than the biggest nuclear detonations have been, an atomic testing group says

The Tonga eruption could be felt all the way in Antarctica

By Herb Scribner Herb Scribnerhscribner@deseretnews.com
SHARE The volcanic eruption in Tonga was larger than the biggest nuclear detonations have been, an atomic testing group says
This satellite image shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga.

In this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite, and released by the agency, shows an undersea volcano eruption near the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.

Japan Meteorology Agency via Associated Press

The underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga was larger than the biggest nuclear detonation ever conducted, an atomic test monitoring group said.

The news: The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna, Austria — which monitors atomic tests — said the shockwave from the underwater blast could be detected all the way in Antarctica, a sign that it’s one of the biggest explosions in history, according to NPR.

  • Overall, 53 detectors around Earth heard the boom from the eruption.
  • “Every single station picked it up,” Ronan Le Bras, a geophysicist with the organization, told NPR. “It’s the biggest thing that we’ve ever seen.”
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Flashback: Early reports the boom was heard in Alaska, per The Associated Press.

  • Residents in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington were warned to avoid the coasts, too, due to potential tsunami waves.

What happened: The underwater volcano’s eruption sent tsunami waves across the Pacific and onto the Tongan islands, devastating communities, as I reported for the Deseret News.

  • In all, “trees and homes completely blanketed by volcanic debris,” CNN reports.
  • “Some buildings appear to have collapsed and aid workers are now concerned about water contamination and food security in the district,” according to CNN.