Research Report
Analysis of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano eruption in Tonga on 15 January 2022
A very large-scale eruption occurred at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano in Tonga at around 13:15 on January 15, 2022 (around 04:15 on the same day in UTC). A tsunami warning was announced in Japan as well, and tsunamis exceeding 1m were observed.
Dr. Masumi Yamada, Assistant Professor, Earthquake Source Mechanisms, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan; and Dr. Tung-Cheng Ho, Researcher, Climate Change Risk Prediction and Adaptation Research Unit, analyzed tsunami and volcanic shock waves using data from seismometers, barometers, and ocean bottom pressure gauge. As a result, it was found that the tsunami propagated concentrically from Tonga, and its speed was almost the same as the sound speed.