{"id":129124,"date":"2024-11-23T09:55:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T02:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=129124"},"modified":"2024-11-23T09:55:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T02:55:12","slug":"something-weird-happened-15-minutes-before-the-tonga-eruption-tech-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=129124","title":{"rendered":"Something weird happened 15 minutes before the Tonga eruption | Tech News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"440\" height=\"248\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Tonga-3791.gif?w=440\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22047536\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The blast was equivalent to hundreds of atomic bombs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Moments before one of the largest underwater volcanic eruptions smothered\u00a0the Pacific island of Tonga, a strange signal happened.<\/p>\n<p>Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u2019apai <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/06\/21\/tonga-hunga-volcano-eruption-set-two-world-records-18989394\/\">erupted in January 2022<\/a>, creating an explosion equivalent to hundreds of atomic bombs.<\/p>\n<p>Hunga shook the region so violently it caused a deadly <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/01\/18\/where-is-tonga-located-and-where-did-the-volcano-hit-15936777\/\">four-foot tsunami into Tonga\u2019s capital, Nuku\u2019alofa<\/a>, and spewed a plume of gas and ash up so high it was visible from space.<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1029\/2024GL111144\">researchers <\/a>have discovered that 15 minutes before Hunga blew its top, two faraway monitoring stations recorded a seismic wave that was an warning sign of the catastrophe to follow. <\/p>\n<p>This \u2018seismic precursor\u2019 and the subsequent eruption were caused by a weak section of the ocean floor below the cauldron-like hollow Hunga sat inside collapsing, according to the findings published in <a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1029\/2024GL111144\">Geophysical Research Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"289\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PRI_218889888-4840.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22043018\" alt=\"An eruption occurs at the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai off Tonga, January 14, 2022 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Video recorded January 14, 2022. Tonga Geological Services\/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Large swathes of Tonga were swalloed up in the aftermath of the eruption (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When all seawater flooded into the gap a few hundred metres below sea level, it crashed into the superhot magma,\u00a0causing the water to flash violently into steam.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers found this caused a Rayleigh wave. It\u2019s not a \u2018wave\u2019 in the surfboarding sense, but rather an acoustic one that causes the ground to roll almost like the motion made when you layer on your bedsheets. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018Many eruptions are preceded by seismic activity,\u2019 said lead author Takuro Horiuchi, a volcanology graduate student at the University of Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018However, such seismic signals are subtle and only detected within several kilometers of the volcano.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>This Raleigh wave, usually known for their leisurely but destructive movement, was felt hundreds of kilometres away. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018We believe unusually large movements started at the time of the precursor,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PRI_218709935-4409.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22043019\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Volcanologists hope picking up on even the tiniest movements when a volcano begins to wake up can be life-saving (Picture: Consulate of the Kingdom of Tonga)<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why is this important? Volcanic eruptions often start with a lot of underground mumbling months before \u2013 in Hunga\u2019s case, it was December 2021.<\/p>\n<p>But all of this happens where humans can\u2019t see, leaving some mechanics of geological mechanics a mystery. Even the smallest indication that an eruption is imminent can save lives, which is why the University of Tokyo researchers rifled through all the data around the Hunga eruption. <\/p>\n<p>Co-author Mie Ichihara, a volcanologist at the University of Tokyo, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.agu.org\/press-release\/new-trigger-tonga-eruption\/\">said<\/a>: \u2018Early warnings are very important for disaster mitigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Island volcanoes can generate tsunamis, which are a significant hazard.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018At the time of the eruption, we didn\u2019t think of using this kind of analysis in real-time. But maybe the next time that there is a significant eruption underwater, local observatories can recognize it from their data.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The January 15 Hunga eruption only lasted only about 10 minutes or so, but its impact was felt far and wide \u2013 and high.<\/p>\n<p>The eruption had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) rating of at least\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/volcano.si.edu\/volcano.cfm?vn=243040&amp;vtab=Eruptions\">VEI-5<\/a>,\u00a0roughly the same as\u00a0the eruption of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/pompeii-dna-overturns-long-held-assumptions-about-its-victims\">Mount Vesuvius<\/a>\u00a0in 79 CE.<\/p>\n<p>Hunga\u2019s blast caused a booming sound so loud that it was heard some 1,100 miles away in New Zealand, with the shock wave reaching 60 miles high well beyond the stratosphere, or upper atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>As did the tower of ash it coughed up, that reached a record-breaking 35 miles high. <\/p>\n<p>Satellite sensors in the days that followed measured about 400,000 tons of sulphur dioxide. About 146 million metric tons\u00a0of water vapour was chugged out, enough to fill 58,000 swimming pools. <\/p>\n<p>The volcano, only 40 miles from the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, also pushed out tsunamis towards the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>The tsunamis killed at least four people in Tonga and a further two thousands of miles away in\u00a0Peru.<\/p>\n<p>Only some parts of the remote nation were left, including slithers of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha\u02bbapai.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/something-weird-happened-15-minutes-tonga-eruption-22048412\/mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/methanol-deadly-humans-22043448\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">What is methanol and why is it deadly to humans?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/21\/this-pasta-200-times-thinner-a-human-hair-22039145\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">This pasta is 200 times thinner than a human hair<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/20\/nasa-trying-reach-asteroid-worth-10-000-000-000-000-000-000-22029742\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Here\u2019s what Nasa are planning to do with asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--news\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>News Updates<\/h4>\n<p>Stay up to date with the stories everybody\u2019s talking about.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/something-weird-happened-15-minutes-tonga-eruption-22048412\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The blast was equivalent to hundreds of atomic bombs Moments before one of the largest underwater volcanic eruptions smothered\u00a0the Pacific island of Tonga, a strange signal happened. Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u2019apai &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=129124\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-129124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=129124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129124\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=129124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=129124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=129124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}