'Possibility of more volcanic blasts, tsunamis after Tonga eruption remains to be seen'

by IANS |

Washington, Jan 18 (IANS) A volcanologist from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said that whether there would be more volcanic blasts or tsunami warnings for the country's West Coast after massive January 15 eruption off the coast of Tonga remained to be seen.

Wendy Stovall, volcanologist with the USGS Volcano Hazards Program (VHP), told the local media on Monday that the eruption was incredible and tsunami activity is actually harder to predict after an undersea volcano like this than say an earthquake, reports Xinhua news agency.

"There must have been a very large amount of magma that was exposed, somehow maybe from an underwater landslide or something, that then encountered the sea water and exploded really violently," she said.

"We will keep an eye out on things as it progresses, but certainly the type of volcano that it is there could be some additional eruptions that are large and could produce more tsunamis or it could just die out... We don't really know at this point," Stovall told KOIN news channel based in Oregon.

"There is evidence there that volcanism occurred through bodies of water that could send out big, nothing necessarily like what was experienced in Tonga, but could send out big pressure waves and similar stratospheric type of eruptions."

Stovall said that strong eruptions can sometimes cool the entire earth for a period of years, while noting that so far her colleagues studying data from Tonga have not calculated any numbers to suggest that that is the case here.

She said the volcano near Tonga is regularly active.

A smaller eruption started about December 20, 2021, but died out before this one set off tsunami warnings.

Latest News
Sensex crosses 74K mark in 1000 points rally Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:42 PM
Man stabbed to death during fight over drinking water Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:41 PM
Actor Mukesh, BJP candidate Ashwini file nominations in Kerala Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:22 PM
Gillespie resigns from his role as South Australia, Adelaide strikers' head coach Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:15 PM
'No scope for individuality in party', Karnataka DyCM Shivakumar warns warring leaders Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:10 PM
Ukrainian FM arrives in India to build on talks between PM Modi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 03:02 PM
Political conspiracy, claims Kejriwal while being taken to Rouse Avenue Court Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:47 PM
NXP Semiconductors unveils industry-first platform for software-defined vehicles Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:41 PM
CM Vijayan & CPI(M) tread cautiously after ED case against Veena Vijayan Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:37 PM
IPL 2024: 'They opened for Australia...', says Ganguly on DC's opting for Warner, Marsh as opening pair vs PBKS Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:28 PM
India's trade policy is calibrated with economic growth path: Piyush Goyal Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:17 PM
Holi brings cheer to UP excise dept as sales soar Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:11 PM
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann blessed with baby girl Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 02:10 PM
New AI tool can predict fatal heart rhythm with 80 pc accuracy Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:41 PM
IPL 2024: 'Perplexed, beyond my understanding', Smith, Pathan slam Hardik's tactics of using Bumrah vs SRH Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:27 PM