Scientists have proposed an alternative explanation for why the record-shattering Tonga volcanic eruption of 2022 was so violent: The explosion may have been triggered by gas, rather than by a reaction between magma and water as previously suggested.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, an underwater volcano in the South Pacific Ocean, erupted on Jan. 15, 2022, unleashing the most intense lightning storm ever recorded and the first known mega-tsunami since antiquity. Previous research indicated that the underwater eruption was fueled by two merging magma chambers, but exactly what sparked the blast has remained unclear.
