There are hundreds of submarine volcanoes in the South Pacific, and their threat is unpredictable

On January 18, the website of Spain's daily 20 Minutes published an article titled "The Unpredictable Threat of Submarine Volcanoes: Tonga is an Exception but There Are Hundreds of Submarine Volcanoes in the South Pacific Alone," written by Nerea Dorado. At the current level of knowledge, it is not yet possible to accurately predict the exact time or location of the eruption of submarine volcanoes. The full text is excerpted below:

The violent eruption of a submarine volcano in Tonga in the South Pacific and the tsunami it triggered left half of the world's countries — from Japan to Chile, from Alaska to Australia — on the weekend alert.

José Maria Sevría, a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences of Spain's National Research Council, told the 20 Minutes daily that while it is true that explosive volcanic eruptions occur frequently in this part of the planet, "volcanic eruptions in Tonga remain an exception" and that "the reasons that could lead to their eruptions are more related to the properties of magma and other factors than to the interaction with water."

The expert said that submarine volcanic eruptions are quite frequent in the South Pacific region, "the area is part of the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire', and most of the active volcanic activity on Earth is concentrated in the Ring of Fire zone.". Specifically, the last violent eruption in the region was in 2015. Sevria added: "I can't tell you how many submarine volcanoes there are, there are hundreds in the South Pacific alone." ”

Sevria said that at the current level of knowledge, it is not yet possible to accurately predict the eruption.

He explained that we can indeed know the zones of volcanic activity and where eruptions are likely to occur, but that we need to have a good system of seismic precursors, geochemical and geodetic observations in place. "Once you have the necessary tools, you can even warn of possible eruptions, just as you can warn of the eruption of Mount La Palma, but the exact time or location of the eruption is still uncertain."

In the event of a volcanic eruption in the waters far from densely populated areas, it is of the utmost importance to have a tsunami warning system that gives residents of nearby islands enough time to receive the alert so that the necessary measures can be taken.

After this eruption of the Tonga volcano, the volcanic island of HongaTonga-Hong Aha Apay almost completely disappeared. Curiously, submarine volcanic eruptions can create and destroy land at the same time. "If the eruption continues for a period of time, a new island can be created, and that's how all the islands in the Tonga archipelago were born," Sevria said. (Compilation/Wang Lu)

This is a photograph of streets and houses after the tsunami in The Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa, on the morning of January 20. Xinhua News Agency

Source: Reference News Network