How the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted and why it caused tsunami warnings

Deep in the South Pacific near Tonga, the ocean surface suddenly opened. The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted with extraordinary force, sending a vertical column of ash, steam, and volcanic gases tens of kilometers into the atmosphere. From the air, its core glowing orange as superheated material burst upward, while a shockwave spread outward across the ocean surface. What you’re seeing isn’t just smoke. It’s a rapidly expanding plume where seawater, magma, and gas collided. As magma co