Kiwis help record the Tonga eruption and tsunami
Early in the evening of 15 January 2022, Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted with the largest and most energetic explosion recorded in modern times. The eruption, which occurred concurrently with Cyclone Cody, caused a far-reaching tsunami that impacted our coastlines and booming sounds that were heard across Aotearoa.
Following the event, 2,100 people around the country shared their observations of the event with GNS Science through e-mails and an online survey that gathered observations of tsunami activity and noises associated with the eruption.
Overall, 295 tsunami observations and 1751 noise observations were reported by people across the country. The records shared by kiwis are helping inform our scientific understanding of the eruption and tsunami and how we can prepare for future events.
Our scientists have used a unique way of presenting the observations and trends observed in the data, using ArcGIS StoryMap. Click the link below and scroll down to explore their findings.
Rachel Lawson
Social Science Technician