In the last week, it was discovered that the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano is still erupting. New information shows that the volcano produced a VEI 6 eruption, deepening its caldera by more than 700 meters or 2000 feet. Meanwhile in Hawaii, a moderate magnitude earthquake occurred on the flanks of the Hualalai volcano, leading some to suspect that it was volcanic in origin. And, in Papua New Guinea, magmatic uplift was detected at a volcano which has not erupted in more than 135 years. This video will discuss these volcano related news stories, as told and analyzed by a volcanologist.
Thumbnail Photo Credit: Google Earth, Image © 2026 Airbus, Image Landsat / Copernicus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO, Data LDEO-Columbia, NSF, NOAA
This video is protected under “fair use”. If you see an image and/or video which is your own in this video, and/or think my discussion of a scientific paper (and/or discussion/mentioning of the data/information within a scientific paper) does not fall under the fair use doctrine, and wish for it to be censored or removed, contact me by email at tccatron@email.asu.edu and I will make the necessary changes.
If you would like to support this channel, consider becoming a patron at http://patreon.com/geologyhub.
Another way to support this channel is to make an order via our gemstone and geology related etsy store at http://prospectingarizona.etsy.com.
This channel’s merch store is also on etsy at http://geologyhub.etsy.com.
Graphics of eruption dates are courtesy of the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institute. https://volcano.si.edu/
Google Earth imagery used in this video: ©Google
0:00 Ibu Volcanic Eruption
0:28 This Week’s Top Stories
0:53 Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai Eruption
2:38 Bamus Volcano Uplift
3:09 Hualalai Earthquake
4:34 Full List of Erupting Volcanoes
Citations:
[1] https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/05/23/evidence-tongas-volcano-may-still-be-erupting-niwa/
[2] https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022GL098827
[3] https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2014.0380
[4] Twitter Exchange with scientist Shane Cronin, @scronin70 (Twitter)
[5] USGS, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
