Tonga: Satellite images capture moment volcano erupts
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The earthquake struck 219km (136.1miles) west-northwest of Pangai region of Tonga.
The epicentre was between the islands of Tonga and the Lau region.
It was a shallow earthwuake, at 14.5km deep.
Shaking may have been felt on some islands, but reportedly not too strong as the quake was not centred nearby.
There is also reportedly little chance of a tsunami threat.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
United States Geological Survey (USGS) has predicted that there is low chance (green alert) of shaking related fatalities, as well as little chance of economic losses from damage to buildings.
And there were luckily no poeple within 100km of impact.
It comes after another earthquake struck just hours earlier.
The magnitude 5 earthquake, which is considered strong, was reportedly 44km out from Nuku‘alofa in Tonga.
The latest quake was 251km north-north-west of Nuku’alofa.
This is about 184km north-west of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, where a huge eruption happened 12 days ago on January 15, 2022.
In fact, the eruption of that volcano was so colossal that NASA has even said that it was hundreds times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War 2.
Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, wrote on NASA’s Earth Observatory blog: “This is a preliminary estimate, but we think the amount of energy released by the eruption was equivalent to somewhere between 4 to 18 megatons of TNT.”
The eruption sent a significant plume of ash and water vapor 25 miles into the atmosphere and generated tsunami waves nearly 50 feet high that struck parts of Tonga’s main island.
The disaster also damaged the island’s main internet cable, cutting off communication to the remote archipelago for days.
Dr Niel Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said in the House of Commons: “I have asked solidarity and support for the people of Tonga, and welcoming that we are working very closely with those allies in Australia and New Zealand to support the people of Tonga.
“And i very much welcome the minister’s statement that the UK is redeoploying military assets to provide humanitarian support for Tonga.”
Since the titanic eruption, the majority of Tongans, around 84 percent according to the Tongan Government, have been affected by falling ash and the tsunami.
Three people were killed in the tsunami that the blast created last week.
The ash in the air continues to pose a threat to the health of Tonga’s 100,000 plus residents – breathing smoke and ash may inflame and damage heart and lungs tissue.
It can also irritate eyes and skin.
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