The 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano, while causing significant devastation, also had a lasting impact on the Southern Hemisphere’s climate. A new study reveals how the eruption’s massive release of water vapor and sulfur dioxide affected atmospheric temperatures and ozone levels, highlighting the complex interplay between volcanic eruptions and Earth’s climate system.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Tonga on Monday, while leaders from across the Pacific gathered for a key regional summit. The tremor, which struck offshore, briefly prompted evacuations near the coast but did not trigger a tsunami warning. The event highlighted Tonga’s location on the seismically active Ring of Fire.
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 shook the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake occurred at 9:47 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located 198 kilometers north of the capital, Nuku’alofa, at a depth of 112 kilometers. The Hawaii-based Pacific Warning Center has issued no warnings of a potential tsunami. Tonga is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region that accounts for a large portion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
