Scientists Explain Record Tsunami From Tonga's 2022 Hunga Volcano Eruption

A Nature Geoscience study found that the 2022 Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai eruption produced waves up to 40 meters high because its caldera collapsed as one large block. The displaced material was equivalent to 1,500 Great Pyramids, and the caldera sank about 150 meters.

• Waves reached 131 feet (40 m) as far as 62 miles (100 km) from the blast
• The caldera sank about 490 feet (150 m), to roughly 850 m below sea level
• About 2.1 cubic miles (8.9 cubic km) of seafloor and 1.6 cubic miles (6.85 cubic km) of volcanic material moved
• At least 74 submarine volcanoes lie along the Tonga–Kermadec Arc, including 20 caldera complexes