The Rise and Fall of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai

The forces that united two islands as one, violently tore them apart.

Robert Waterman - Esri

January 27, 2022

For more than a decade, a submarine volcano had been erupting in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. In 2015, the volcanic activity united two islands as one, and we witnessed the birth of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai. However, in 2022, the eruptions culminated in the violent self destruction of this volcanic island.

Graphic Courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai was the first of its kind to rise and persist in the modern satellite era. Although storms and waves wash away most “Surtseyan islands” within a matter of months, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai was projected to persist for years, possibly decades.

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Step through the rise and fall of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai, witnessed through the eyes of Maxar’s constellation of optical remote sensing satellites.

July 21, 2010

In this image from 2010, Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha‘apai existed as individual islands in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga.

February 21, 2015

In December 2014, a submarine volcano began to erupt and form a new landmass between the two islands. By February 2015, the new landmass had connected with Hunga Ha'apai.

March 23, 2015

Over the first few months of its existence, the new island grew and changed shape in dramatic fashion. By March, Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha‘apai were nearly connected.

December 22, 2015

Nearly six months after eruptions began, the islands were joined as one. By December, the shape and size of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai, had largely stabilized.

October 13, 2019

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai was the first of its kind to rise and persist in the modern satellite era. Waves and storms wash away most “Surtseyan islands” within a matter of months. Here it is, nearly 5-years into it's projected multi-decade lifespan.

December 12, 2021

At six years old, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai is shown here in it's final form, just a few weeks before its self destructive eruptions began.

December 24, 2021

An eruption on December 20 significantly increased the size of the island. Plumes of smoke and ash continue to billow from the volcano in this image captured four days later.

January 6, 2022

Volcanic activity subsided around January 6. However, just a week later, activity would pick back up.

January 17, 2022

On January 15, the volcano violently erupted, wiping the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai off the map. The forces which had joined two islands as one, had torn them apart. Some floating pumice, but no sign of the island here on January 17.

The eruption on January 15, 2022 released hundreds of times the equivalent mechanical energy of the Hiroshima nuclear explosion. Material was launched as high as 40 kilometers (25 miles) into the stratosphere, blanketing nearby islands with ash and triggering tsunami waves. Hours after the event, the sound from the blast was heard as far away as Alaska, United States.