The name Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai refers to the two islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Haʻapai that were merged as a result of the submarine volcano breaching sea level due to an eruption. The two islands are the remnants of the western and northern rim of the volcano's caldera.
It is located about 65km north of Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga. The volcano is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji. It lies about 100 km (62 mi) above a very active seismic zone. The island arc is formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate. |
Birth of a New Island: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
By Geography Realm. 2018 [1:01] Description: This video visualizes changes in the newly formed Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai from January 2015 to September 2017. |
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The Birth of a New Island
By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [5:27] Description: In late December 2014 into early 2015, a submarine volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga erupted, sending a violent stream of steam, ash and rock into the air. When the ash finally settled in January 2015, a newborn island with a 400-foot summit nestled between two older islands – visible to satellites in space. The newly formed Tongan island, unofficially known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai after its neighbors, was initially projected to last a few months. Now it has a 6- to 30-year lease on life, according to a new NASA study. |
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Hunga Tonga volcano erupts again, triggers tsunami
By Video From Space [1:06] Description: The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted for the second time in 2 days, triggering a tsunami that hit the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured imagery of the eruption. Huge Tonga underwater volcano eruption captured in stunning satellite video | Spac |
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