Expert insight: Pacific volcanoes and how they can affect the west coast
On Jan. 15, a tsunami warning went out to residents of British Columbia and the west coast of the United States. The warning was issued after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano in Tonga in the Southwest Pacific. Tsunami literally means " harbour wave " in Japanese - a tsunami comprises a series of waves separated by 10 to 60 minutes. While wind waves reach a maximum height and later crash, a tsunami wave is a massive water mass moving with great height and speed, bringing debris and boulders from the bottom of the ocean with it. The force of this water wall can have enough force to knock down an adult, move cars and destroy buildings that aren't tsunami-proof. Tsunamis are generated when great masses of water move suddenly and with great force, such as the seafloor elevating quickly, as in an earthquake, landslide or volcanic eruption. Ten years ago, an earthquake in Haida Gwaii, B.C. , resulted in the evacuation of areas as far away as Hawaii due to the threat of a tsunami. Tonga eruption. The massive underwater eruption of the volcanic island Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai contained a level of force only seen once every 1,000 years, creating the conditions for a tsunami that could travel across the Pacific Ocean. There are many underwater volcanoes, that constantly erupt, such as those in the mid-Atlantic ridge. Most volcanic eruptions near or underwater generate waves only noticeable to measuring instruments. What made the eruption in Tonga different?
