The eruption of the volcano in Tonga could have caused a mini-tsunami in the Balearic Islands

The The eruption of the submarine volcano near the island of Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean, is in Spain and could have caused a meteoric tsunami (tsunami caused by meteorological and non-seismic causes) in the Balearic Islands, according to experts from Meteored.

“The violent explosion of Hunga Tonga volcano in the Pacific Ocean, It generated a train of pressure waves through the air, which expanded through the atmosphere, “which records sudden oscillations in pressure as it moves through observatories and meteorological stations around the world, including Spain”, points out Jose Miguel Vinas, meteorologist from Meteored.

It is the impressive images from the space of the underwater eruption of a volcano in Tonga that caused a tsunami that caused material damage and massive evacuations https://t.co/m0rJBnbMOM pic.twitter.com/B9mkCnuhoc

– Europa Press (@europapress) 16 January 2022

As the expert explains, in parallel, the eruption also generated “a train of marine waves propagating through the Pacific basin, causing a tsunami with catastrophic consequences on the islands of the Tonga archipelago, affecting many other coastal areas of the aforementioned basin to a lesser extent . “

The volcanic plume (ash column) It is estimated to have reached 20 kilometers high and penetrated into the lower stratosphere. “The atmospheric shock wave propagated the sound of the violent eruption over long distances. It was of high intensity within a radius of hundreds of kilometers around the volcano, and reached the sound that was recorded thousands of kilometers away, as far away from Tonga as like Alaska, “says Viñas.

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For his part, Francis Martin, also a Meteored meteorologist, ensures that the shock wave released by the Tonga volcano, according to data from the Australian Meteorological Office (BOM), traveled at a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour. “In some areas it has translated into pressure fluctuations of between 6 and 7 hectopascals (hPa). Around 21:00 yesterday, it reached the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands with fluctuations of between 1 and 2 hPa., reports.

According to this expert, while still awaiting review, It is estimated that the wave could create “a meteoric tsunami of several tens of centimeters” in the Balearic Islands this Saturday.