Tonga Volcano explodes in the most violent erruption in 30 years.

[CriticalGaming]

Tsunami threat recedes from huge Pacific volcanic eruption

The tsunami threat around the Pacific from a huge undersea volcanic eruption has begun to recede, while the extent of damage to Tonga remains unclear.

apnews.com

Over the weekend the Hunga Tonga Volcano erupted in the largest eruption on the planet in the last 30 years. The underwater volcano exploded with such force that it caused a Tsunami to cross the Pacific ocean, dealing damage in California 8500KM away. The blast was so loud it could be heard in Alaska 7 hours later.

This is a big deal because Tonga is one of the few volcanos on the planet capable of extinction levels of destruction. While the eruption on Saturday wasn't quite big enough to cause a change in climate, it was a fierce reminder that it has the potential to do so. There have been several Volcanos in human history that have impacted weather throughout history and it almost happened again this weekend. In the 1815 mount Tambora erupted enough into the atmosphere that it caused temperatures to lower to that point where summer didn't happen that year, causing huge issues with world crops.

Hunga Tonga had several smaller eruptions in the weeks before this event on the 15th. Including a fairly moderate one the early morning of this event. Currently all communication is cut off and we don't know the status of Tonga beyond what we can measure from far away and by satalite. It is unknown as to whether this is the big event for this eruption sequence or if there is another bigger blast still cooking.

Here is some tsunami footage, which was small compared to Japan's 2011 and Indonisia's 2004 tsunami's
And here is what the satalite's saw of the Honga eruption.

 

[Chimpzy]

Fyi, Tonga is also an island nation of some 100.000 people. Not much is currently known about what's become of them, or how many casualties there are, since the eruption has basically severed all communication with the islands.

Tho I've seen some before/after satellite images. Doesn't look too good. Several settlements are just plain gone.

And here is what the satalite's saw of the Honga eruption.

Fuck me, that tooks terrifying.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Fuck me, that tooks terrifying.

Also that twitter account is misleading. That is not a "mild" anything. That was a major eruption. It's unclear if he is referring to the eruption being "mild" for what Honga Tonga CAN potentially do, in which case then yes I guess this would be mild compared to the full power eruption.

 

[CriticalGaming]

An Island Nation Covered in Ash Now Worries About a COVID Intrusion

SYDNEY — A local cleanup and evacuation operation has begun in Tonga after an epic volcanic eruption set off a tsunami, as the island nation’s government, after days of silence, told of an “unprecedented disaster,” and the first aerial photos emerged showing the normally green and verdant isles...

www.yahoo.com

Tonga is worried that aid coming in to help them will bring Covid with it. Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't kinda thing.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Images reveal devastation inflicted on Tonga by volcano and tsunami

2 people have been confirmed dead in the Pacific island nation so far, but communications are still patchy, and the scale of the damage is just starting to become clear.

www.yahoo.com

Here are some before and after pictures of ash and tsunami damage in Tonga. Fucking wild.

 

[Agema]

This is a big deal because Tonga is one of the few volcanos on the planet capable of extinction levels of destruction.

Yellowstone.

Just saying

 

[CriticalGaming]

Yellowstone.

Just saying

Yes indeed, but if yellowstone goes, I will never report on it because i'll be dead.

 

[Agema]

Yes indeed, but if yellowstone goes, I will never report on it because i'll be dead.

Depending on how close you are, you might have a few minutes to report it before the telecommunications infrastructure of North America collapses. Likewise you might well survive if far enough away, although I don't doubt the collapse of society, governance, supply of necessities (e.g. food) will make life pretty hairy.

 

[Brokencontroller]

Depending on how close you are, you might have a few minutes to report it before the telecommunications infrastructure of North America collapses. Likewise you might well survive if far enough away, although I don't doubt the collapse of society, governance, supply of necessities (e.g. food) will make life pretty hairy.

The emp blast alone would wipe out communications within minutes to most if not all the u.s. well before most people even knew what was happening.

 

[Agema]

The emp blast alone would wipe out communications within minutes to most if not all the u.s. well before most people even knew what was happening.

I was not aware that volcanic eruptions generally caused EMPs - I could hypothesise theoretical reasons why they might, but I don't know if they have been observed. I more figured it would simply cut or disrupt a ton of the comms network through sheer physical damage, which would probably then cause overloads elsewhere in the system and pretty much collapse the whole lot.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I was not aware that volcanic eruptions generally caused EMPs - I could hypothesise theoretical reasons why they might, but I don't know if they have been observed. I more figured it would simply cut or disrupt a ton of the comms network through sheer physical damage, which would probably then cause overloads elsewhere in the system and pretty much collapse the whole lot.

There isn't always one. But for a blast like Yellowstone, Broken is right, it would tear through the U.S well before people were even aware it was happening. Technically yes you'd have a little while before everything was cut off to report it, but anyone close enough to see it happening and survive would be hit by the emp within seconds. And people further away wouldn't know until the concussion blast causes every window in North America to explode violently and countless people blow out their eardrums.

A sound wave from Yellowstone's full blown eruption would be the loudest sound on Earth and the shockwave will circle the planet several times.

 

[Gergar12]

I wonder if we could trigger another one to counter climate change.

 

[CaitSeith]

I wonder if we could trigger another one to counter climate change.

That's how the TV Series Dinosaurs ended: they made all the volcanoes explode to cause rain and accidentally created the Ice Age instead.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I wonder if we could trigger another one to counter climate change.

Tonga released about .4TU (terraunits iirc) of SO2 (Sulfer Dioxide) into the atomosphere, which is not enough to do anything to the climate. Pinitubo in 1991 released about 30X that amount which lead to a global cooling of about 1 degree Celesus. It was cooler that year on average but not remarkably so.

The Tonga erruption was very cool, but it only lasted for 10 minutes. Which is why it didn't have any long term impact. Tonga was an exceptionally violent and explosive erruption and is actually pretty unique because of how short it was.

What you really are asking for is another Krakatoa which when it blew itself up in 1813, it cooled the planet down so much that it snowed in July throughout the world. And should something like that happen again. While it would cool the planet down for a year or two, it wouldn't really have a long term effect on humanities climate impact. In order for a volcano to REALLY reverse Climate change. well you are talking about a Yellowstone level event that can cool the planet for decades, unfortunately that means no crops, no farming, no organic food for 10+ years and billions of people starve to death, and countless more die to the war over reasourses.

 

[Thaluikhain]

What you really are asking for is another Krakatoa which when it blew itself up in 1813, it cooled the planet down so much that it snowed in July throughout the world. And should something like that happen again. While it would cool the planet down for a year or two, it wouldn't really have a long term effect on humanities climate impact. In order for a volcano to REALLY reverse Climate change. well you are talking about a Yellowstone level event that can cool the planet for decades, unfortunately that means no crops, no farming, no organic food for 10+ years and billions of people starve to death, and countless more die to the war over reasourses.

Which would have a big impact on human created climate change, though.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Which would have a big impact on human created climate change, though.

Yes we would drastically reduce our effect on that planet if we mostly go extinct.