NASA has followed the Pacific Islands evolution for years. Then Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted. 🌋 “It gave us a window into a rapid-paced life history of an island that we can compare to hundreds of other islands in the oceans over time,” said Jim Garvin, Chief Scientist at NASA Goddard. Through the eyes of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and ESA - European Space Agency satellites, scientists are able to study the life cycle of volcanic islands – from formation to erupti

61K views · 887 reactions | On Jan. 13, 2022, the Himawari-8 satellite captured an explosive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, located in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga.  A tidal gauge in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, measured a one-foot tsunami wave that resulted from the blast. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operational partners at the Japan Meteorological Agency | Science Channel | Facebook

1.7K views · 28 reactions | The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption, the largest atmospheric explosion recorded during modern history, was estimated to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. It generated a huge sonic boom that could be heard as far away as Alaska - more than 9000km away. To mark the first anniversary of the disaster, community leaders gathered at churches in Tonga and around the world. | RNZ | Facebook

133K views · 800 reactions | The New Zealand High Commission recently returned to Hunga to see what had become of Tonga's newest island, which formed between Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai islands following an underwater volcanic eruption in January 2015. Experts said the new island would probably exist only a few months until ocean waves wore it down. Take a look at what we found. Video credit: New Zealand High Commission. | New Zealand High Commission, Nuku'alofa, Tonga | Facebook