Tonga Case Study

?
  • Created by: Ice_Fox
  • Created on: 04-02-22 11:07

When: 15th January 2022 (5:10pm local time)

Where: Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano which is an unihabitated island, part of the Tonga archipelago. The caldera volcano used to be two separate islands (Hunga-Tonga and Hunga-Ha'apai) which joined during an eruption in 2015. It is almost 2km high and 20km across when looked at below sea level, with the majority of the volcano submerged. It is 60km North of the main Tongan island and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which formed due to the subduction of the oceanic Pacific plate under the continental Australian plate.

Why: As the Pacific plate is subducted and partially melts at the Benioff Zone, magma chambers of melted tectonic plate form. These are less dense than the surrounding magma of the asthenosphere (mantle) and so rise to the surface. It forces its way up, creating…

Comments

No comments have yet been made