There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea | Mapping the Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai Caldera

We hope you enjoy this story of unexpected, challenging events that finally led to success in mapping the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai caldera following the January 2022 eruption. This video first premiered at GSA Connects 2022.
Narrative written and performed by Bob Stern
Videography by Amanda Maceda
Illustrations by Clinton Crowley
What to create effective short-ed videos? Video Creation Workflow is available here:
www.researchgate.net/profile/...
References:
- Brenna et. al. 2022. Post-caldera volcanism reveals shallow priming of an intra-ocean arc andesitic caldera: Hunga volcano, Tonga, SW Pacific LITHOS 412-413.
- Cronin et al., 2022 EGU presentation
Media Credits:
- Steven Self for insights on caldera changes
- Earth Observatory “Hunga Tonga -Hunga Ha’api Erupts”
Jan. 15, 2022.
- BBC News “Tonga Volcano: Plume reached halfway to space”
Jan. 21, 2022
- Dave Allen videography
- Tonga Geological Services (drone & eruption footage)
- NOAA Ocean Charting Operations - Multibeam Animation (KZbin)
- Fugro Survey Multibeam Echosounder (KZbin)
- Atomcentral’s Atomic Bomb blast with shock effects in HD (KZbin)
- NSF Multimedia Gallery and Press Toolkit
- Shredgardener Royalty-free Stock Footage of a Clock Time Lapse
- Mt Tambora By Jialiang Gao (peace-on-earth.org) - CC BY-SA 3.0
- USGS - Understanding the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Event
- USGS Kilauea - Thermal Imagery Timelapse (Dec 29, 2020)
- Burj Khalifa Photo By Donaldytong - CC BY-SA 3.0
- Diagram comparing the height of Burj Khalifa to other buildings and
structures, based on the drawings from commons.wikimedia.org
/wiki/File:BurjKhalifaHeight.svg and www.skyscrapercenter.com
- CC BY-SA 3.0
- UTD GSS - Science Behind Hunga Tonga Volcano Eruptions (KZbin)
- Meet GNS Science | Te Pu Ao (GNS Science on KZbin)
- When science doesn't go to plan | research voyage to Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano cut short (GNS Science on KZbin)
Production of this video was supported by NSF Grant 2223203
to RJ Stern
Please consider donating to the UT Dallas Geoscience Studio and Geonews Program:
giving.utdallas.edu/gss

[@VBarr33]

I've been dying to know anything more about this eruption and haven't found anything near to this level of detail. Thank you so much!

[@autojohn-pu1vf]

THIS is all fake, it was really a rush in nuke... that tsunami bomb thing

[@gameglitcher]

I take it a spam bot replied to you first? I was very confused clicking the drop drown arrow and nothing appeared lol.

[@bearbait2221]

I live in Palmer, Alaska and i heard this volcano shockwave. I can imagine being close to the blast. im 7000 miles away

[@Iambrendanjames]

wild. The weather around the world has been a little off since, so this eruption was certainly bigger than we've had in a long time.

[@kinte1870]

It caused a warming event

[@okboomer6201]

@@kinte1870 It is causing a cooling event.

[@lgbfjb7160]

It's causing something....

[@TheBrassLantern_]

I live in Australia in the capital and it’s been really cold for this time of year. Usually have 35 degree Celsius days by now for summer, it was 20 today at the hottest.

[@TheBrassLantern_]

Australia has also had record amounts of rainfall across the whole east and south coast.

[@keheungan]

Great video! Knowing I live less than 100km to Krakatoa frightens me. In history or geography class we never taught how huge the impact of Krakatoa and Tambora eruption, while the entire world knew it. Thanks for making this video

[@altonhipp4075]

Krakatau....son of krakatoa........lava dome from same volcano that is locked and loaded to "pop" again.......do not make excuses as to why you would live within 200 km of this killer!....?not a matter of if......but when!....they say stupid can't be fixed?......Gaia will cure you instantly!

[@gamingvibrations5320]

The passion these people have for science is boundless and so inspiring. Spending a week to manufacture a mount for a sonar they rented, to put on a ship they don't own either. Hats off!

[@Rhino1277HotRails]

Geoscientist here...thanks. you're lucky to get the money. Looking forward to your written report.

[@michaelperfit9128]

Well done, interesting video. The collaboration to get the survey done is impressive. I'm sure we will learn a lot from additional studies of this volcano.

[@UTDGeoscienceStudios]

Thanks Mike! We need more videos about marine work!

[@autojohn-pu1vf]

@@UTDGeoscienceStudios How many HOAXES does it take??? it came right after 2 days of all the fake news articles reading---> "Biden Issues Stern Warning to Putin over Ukrain". You know, the only "Volcano" in the history of the world that NEVER spewed out any LAVA🤦🤦🏾🤦🏻🤦🏽🤦🏼 ... the one that wiped 2 islands off the map, caused 5 ft water swells in Hawaii and flooding from San Fran to San Diego from Tsunamis... satellite images showed debris shot miles higher then any recorded volcano ever... ...Later on that night I tuned into Caravan to Midnight and Mr. Wells suggested that maybe the "Volcano" was actually Putins' stern warning to Biden over Ukraim...... hmmmm that's why I like John B, nothin' gets past him

[@KH-bv8fx]

Thanks for the update. Amazing work that shows the comparison of before and after eruption.

[@jrkorman]

I find it amazing, and sad, that an organization like the NSF wasn't at the leading edge with - "Is there someone out there who wants to survey this" - We have money! Thank you for the update. I had wondered if some effort was being made to survey the site before it "aged".

[@agate_jcg]

This is how the process works, and it's for the better. The NSF itself doesn't necessarily have the expertise to judge what the best science is, whether it's technically possible, what should be an urgent priority. They rely on subject matter experts like these folks to submit proposals, which get judged by other experts. And NSF can definitely count on the scientific community to come up with ideas. From my experience with this process, I'm sure that this UT / NZ team weren't the only people to propose mapping the seafloor of this caldera. Most likely NSF had their pick of several teams, and their panel picked the one with the best plan and the most expertise.

[@Leyrann]

@@agate_jcg This! After such an astonishing volcanic eruption, not to mention one that breaks so many of our expectations, volcanologists (and geologists in other fields) will be chomping at the bit to investigate and learn as much as possible. The thing that's stood out the most to me over the past year is how far apart the size estimates were depending on the method used. Sulfur dioxide emissions implied it was a VEI-4 or maybe low-end VEI-5 emissions, but eruptions of that size aren't 'supposed' to create such a circular eruption cloud (which is a mark of incredibly powerful eruptions that can overcome the regular winds) or make it reach that high up. And then there's the loudness, the short duration, et cetera. This particular study (which GeologyHub also reported on several months ago) shed a lot of light on the event because it allowed scientists to determine how much material had been removed from the magma chamber (as that's how much the caldera caved in), giving a useful lower bound of the size of the eruption, which puts it at the high-end VEI-5 or VEI-6 range (note: NOT bigger than Krakatoa unlike what this video says, not sure where that claim comes from - Krakatoa was basically Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on steroids), about TEN TIMES bigger than initial estimates, and possibly (but not definitively) big enough to match the 1991 eruption of Mt Pinatubo in size. Also incredibly fortuitous is that several years ago, this volcano just *happened* to have been used as a case study for mapping the seafloor of a submarine volcano, which meant that this study had *vastly* more detailed information for what the volcano looked like before this year's eruption than would be expected with most submarine volcanoes.

[@ligmasack9038]

@@agate_jcg No, the N.S.F. is just another woke Turd that refuses to fund anything that doesn't push "The Message".

[@kinngrimm]

Yet with the appraoch of the NSF they were at the leading edge, maybe they did not initiat the whole thing, but still financed by it. Also instead of running around throwing money at problems they themselves may not have a clue of, they wait for people who then need to proof to them that it is worth investing money into such and such projects. What i find amazing is that some people always assume they know better (Dunning-Krueger?).

[@autojohn-pu1vf]

How many HOAXES does it take??? U fall 4 em all!!! it came right after 2 days of all the fake news articles reading---> "Biden Issues Stern Warning to Putin over Ukrain". You know, the only "Volcano" in the history of the world that NEVER spewed out any LAVA🤦🤦🏾🤦🏻🤦🏽🤦🏼 ... the one that wiped 2 islands off the map, caused 5 ft water swells in Hawaii and flooding from San Fran to San Diego from Tsunamis... satellite images showed debris shot miles higher then any recorded volcano ever... ...Later on that night I tuned into Caravan to Midnight and Mr. Wells suggested that maybe the "Volcano" was actually Putins' stern warning to Biden over Ukraim...... hmmmm that's why I like John B, nothin' gets past him

[@heathfairweather896]

We could hear the sonic boom 💥 explosions in Bay of Plenty New Zealand......phenomenal

[@hi2jz]

fantastic video!! much appreciated!

[@jimmywrangles]

Excellent upload, thank you all for the hard work.

[@medea27]

Love this video! 👍 Science is a journey, not a destination... if you've never worked in the sciences it's easy to think in terms of the output; as data & published results. What people don't appreciate is _how_ we get that data in the first place... if you want it, it's up to you to work out how to get it! This is such an amazing example of that process... how you cobble together the best solution you can in the time & budget available... begging, borrowing & "appropriating" what you can to get the job done because things _never_ go to plan! (RIP to the lost sonar & their next few years of insurance premiums!) Love that you dropped in the comment about enjoying a bit of swimming while they were out at the volcano too... reminded me about that wonderful feeling in those moments when you get to stop & smell the roses (or sulphur & sea salt!) and appreciate how field researchers have the best "offices" in the world. 👌

[@mikilynne4558]

That satellite footage is unbelievably amazing. Now you know why ancient peoples made sacrifices to the volcano gods. AWESOME POWER OF MOTHER NATURE

[@vhhawk]

Liked and subscribed so the algorithm can get this to more people. It's always good to remember that science is a human endeavor that still involves human ingenuity to get it done.

[@tyzxcj34]

Awesome great work! Thanks for sharing very interesting and exciting

[@clwmentsvale]

Fascinating and looking forward to more information that is gained over time

[@andrewsymonds5529]

thank you for this, incredible work, well done

[@alexfuentez6943]

Thank you for the information. I especially appreciated the toons.

[@imsewgood3935]

Absolutely wonderful research and video. Our world is such a changing and beautiful place, we are fortunate to have researchers and scientists that keep us informed of these changes. Thank you

[@DawnWright]

Terrific job!

[@DuckshotProductions]

That is a big hole. Awesome work by the teams of people involved.

[@NanaTop70]

This is great information. Thank you

[@deejj9766]

Loved your video. Thank you and your fellow scientist for your work and commitment to science and not giving up. You people make this world a better place to live God bless all

[@XmarkedSpot]

I'm an atheist yadda yadda but i fully second the sentiment. God bless y'all!

[@scrapbagstudios]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@andrewford80]

Super fascinating!

[@aronangari5031]

Fascinating story and findings from a team that is passionate about volcanos and research. It highlights the importance of available resources that can be tapped into rapidly so as not to age the availability of data that could jeopardize the integrity of real facts of the event. Should watch tis space for future events. Awesome Team.

[@Rhino1277HotRails]

Excellent work.

[@simonwyndham]

Thank you, that was extremely insightful. There's not a lot of useful information about this eruption around to this level of detail.

[@SamtheIrishexan]

Subbed great presentation and you did good with your dad joke humor i love it.

[@Roin_robin87]

The images at the volcano looks so good

[@randomname1059]

But is there a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea? Legitimately though it is incredibly interesting to see the kind of effort that went into getting these images so quickly.

[@Whisperhollow]

And is there a frog on the log in the hole at the bottom of the sea?

[@DarthSk8r]

or a wart on the frog on the bump on a log in the hole at the bottom of the sea?

[@deborahriley1166]

Awesome! Thanks 👍

[@jeffreywickens3379]

Very interesting and great production values.

[@SineEyed]

Thanks for sharing this story..

[@mutualbeard]

I remember hearing the explosion at my home town just a little south of Sydney Australia. At first I thought a thunder storm was coming but looked out to blue skies. Our sunsets have been red this year. It is hard to say how our weather has been impacted. We are now in a rare third Summer of "la nina" events

[@centralscrutinizer6108]

From what I've seen that volcano is directly affecting Australias weather. The massive amount of vaporized water that was injected into the atmosphere at those latitudes has affected how the winds come up from the Southern Ocean and suppressing flow patterns. Its what has caused all the massive rainfalls and flooding they've experienced in the southeast. I bet your media hasn't said anything to that affect cause then they can't blame it on "man made" climate change. To be honest the shear lack of any substantial news coverage anywhere about this volcano has been telling. This volcano has actually caused global temps to go up slightly because of that massive amount of water being injected so high into the atmostphere.

[@andieanderssen780]

We had a fair few purple sunsets down in Tasmania.

[@sammacculloch446]

I'm live near tauranga nz and we thought someone had used one of those scat cannons to scare birds away from large orchards lol. Insane stuff.

[@BatMan-oe2gh]

That eruption is what has caused all the rain you guys have gotten on the east coast. Look up Ozgeographics on here and they have a video how it is being caused.

[@mariuscronje]

Even the sunsets in South Africa during that time was unusual bright, just after sunset the sky was still alight, which was strange

[@Mayo-Lord]

It took me way too long to find this explanation. Subbed.

[@Greg-kz3sv]

Great to be aware and pushing for results. Good effort by these folks whom pushed for the funding and job completion to be achieved.

[@rickr5927]

Unlike many youtube videos.. excellent narration.. Thanks so much.. very interesting !!! English nog being my native tongue.. I could follow you very very well... !!

[@stevensinclair8536]

Damn interesting. Creates more questions than answers as these things do? Why no ash? Why is most of the rim flat? Graphics show no regional subsidence or swelling from the venting on top of a thin crust. Go team.

[@ruthnovena40]

Thank you so much

[@thvtsydneylyf3th077]

nice one doks

[@-LightningRod-]

Simply Fascinating,...

[@64Pete]

Thanks, enjoyed the story immensely! ✌🇦🇺

[@clarenceghammjr1326]

Superb!

[@thekinginyellow1744]

Interesting focus on the process of science. Not as romantic as the investigations, but arguably more important in the real world.

[@skyridersean]

I saw another film of a sonar survey done by NIWA , it was done earlier than this video by about 8 months and they used unmanned remote controlled sonar

[@Yezpahr]

It took the algorithm some time to get its shit together but it finally recommended something interesting. Only happens once or twice a day, like a broken clock, but I'm happy with the result! Great scientific video!

[@wtglb]

Very interesting!!

[@barbrahlivingston8971]

Awesome.

[@makaimaukahasopinions848]

This was cool

[@tytoalbasoren9457]

After a lot of research, geologist has concluded it was a VEI 6 (to put in to perspective the last VEI 6 eruption was Pinatubo 1991) so Tonga officially set a new record in history for the first and latest VEI 6 eruption in the 21st century with the tallest volcanic ash plume with height of 57km/35mi previously held by Pinatubo with 40km/28mi. Congrats! Just kinda wished it happened over land and not underwater so we can see it with all of its glory. Plus a caldera collapsing on live cam would definitely something we all want to see. But to be honest here even though this boi was devastating af, it did give quite the vibrant, spectacular sunrise and sunsets here in the southern hemisphere.

[@gardnep]

Most people in the world have no idea how big an Empire State Building is.

[@raahpsirus7923]

Amazing :) thanks for all the effort, and graphics, I love that about us humans, always trying to understand everything more, .... so it was a Big One then, last time one like that, there was a 'year without summer' was it not ? ... time to pray ? or do that already, its a Big Big world out there, much peace for 2023 !

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

I would be curious to know how much time after a submarine eruption micro-organisms start appearing around hydrothermal vents.

[@4thgradedropout980]

That Cronin guy is badass. What a man.

[@scottdoran6347]

In 2019 while sailing in Tonga I spent 3 days anchored on the west side of the volcano, I climbed up to the caldera \. Astonishing that it’s all gone.

[@dangibson4324]

That is the finest comic about applying for rapid grant funding I've ever seen!

[@reverseuniverse2559]

Great video well documented👍 good clear explanation and great narration dude 👍 Thank you to all involved fail or prevail we are together our🗽 🥝 fellow neighbours 😊 ❤from Oz 🦘

[@jayjaynella4539]

I suspect the "ash" is really steam that reached the stratosphere and has fallen out over Australia over the last few months. Aus rainfall records have been set in many places, and in 33 years living here, I have never seen such a large amount of rain over a 4 month period.

[@BatMan-oe2gh]

You are correct. It is the cause of the massive rainfall.

[@kobusdowney5291]

Here on South Africa we have had a ton of rainfall this season as well.

[@koenraadhendricus]

Great video, lovely detailed maps. Typical geologist units of measurement; the empire state, the burj khalifa. If I ever publish the hole I dig in my backyard, I'll measure the depth in bikes.

[@rafaelgomez1284]

That`s how the science is done. Congratulations.

[@oldschool1993]

For these scientists and others like them, this is an event worthy of celebration- something that happens once every 1000 years happens in their lifetime and is the thing they have studied all their lives. On the other hand for those who were killed and left homeless, it is a less happy event.

[@S-T-E-V-E]

This eruption fascinates me! I wish we could have caught it on sea level cameras!

[@JJ-fq4nl]

Well….even though we all would like that but not at the cost of life. The guy that caught Mt. St. Helen on film 🎥 died in the pyroclastic flow he couldn’t escape from. Amazingly, the film 🎞️ survived with his body protecting it.

[@BatMan-oe2gh]

The pyroclastic flows went about 80 kms along the seabed. No chance of any camera surviving.

[@terenfro1975]

20 years since I've seen bob. He doesn't look one year different.

[@LeCharles07]

:O That overpressure front is still mind-blowing. How many megatons was this to simply remove that much mass?

[@burningpentagram666]

60 megatons , slightly more than Tsar Bomba

[@Snowwie88]

I wonder how powerful this eruption was in comparison with Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which had a VEI of 6, and was back then the largest ever recorded eruption since both Krakatau and Tambora. Pinatubo was definitely not a small one; plunging the average temperature of the whole planet by half a degree (Celsius) and it threw an ash cloud of 40km into the atmosphere.

[@rustymotor]

An amazing event and surprised that there were no people on the island or fishermen around when that volcano erupted. Wonder what became of the seabirds and sea creatures at the time of the event? Hopefully they briskly got out of the area once the trouble started.

[@myblueocean2]

Are there any biological surveys in the making or on their way? Would be great to study the recolonization if the shallow and deep habitats after such an event.

[@MountainFisher]

If they are picking up possible lava infusion or even super hot thermo-vents it is doubtful anyone would want to send a cheap $15,000 ROV near the bottom. I say cheap as that is where they start in price. There are cheap drones, but the ones that can go to 900 meters are not cheaper.

[@myblueocean2]

@@MountainFisher well, its not like the whole bowl is full of hot water. Of course one would need an ROV to do things right, but even a mulitcorer or boxcorer would be a start. The really hot areas can easily be avoided. And a sizable research ship costs often more than 15000 a day, so a 900m drone might really be cheap side cost if lost. Of course things could be done cheaper. That what grants are for ;) This is such a great opportunity and I as a marine biologist would love to be part of it.

[@fatherwilliam7256]

Fantastic video! But one question remains: Is there a log in the hole at the bottom of the sea? I think you need more funding.

[@hertzer2000]

They may be surprised there is a frog on that log.

[@medea27]

Definitely need to go after that log - it pulled a ram raid & stole their sonar!

[@bigrooster6893]

I would love to know if they know what type of lava was erupted there had to be at a mixture of two magma chambers.

[@hansolo-mx4xt]

By what measure is it grater than Krakatoa? I thought that Krakatoa caused crops to fail world wide from dust/ash blocking sunlight?

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

Was it a volcanic explosion or did it collapse then explode when the water hit hot rock? That was how Krakatao erupted, the magma chamber emptied from the ash eruptions then the caldera collapsed and when seawater hit the super hot rock, there was a massive steam explosion.

[@deirdrebuckle6915]

Thank you for sharing this information. Governments around the world should be taking more interest in what is happening, as all the volcanoes are in revolt!

[@Terminator484]

If all of them were active, you'd know about it. There are thousands of volcanoes on Earth. At any given moment, normal volcanic activity is about 50 active eruptions occurring around the world... and that average has held true since the science of modern volcanology began, and continues to be true at the moment of writing this. It is business as usual on this geologically active rock. Global volcanism is not higher than average, nor even slightly higher than average. For the foreseeable future, global volcanism remains perfectly normal. The only reason why it may appear different now, is because sensationalist news sells, and everybody has a camera in their pocket. Documentation has never been better. But the world's volcanoes are not awakening, or any more active than they have been for centuries. Calm down, and enjoy the stunning close-up video of eruptions that might have gone unnoticed just a decade ago.

[@amacuro]

Nothing weird happening from a geological point of view. We just have more satellites and technology to study volcanoes. That's why you are hearing more about it.

[@Dorsidwarf]

Is the subtitling off by 15-20 seconds for anyone else?

[@paulblase3955]

How long until somebody gets an ROV out there?

[@amacuro]

I wonder the effects on climate if the volcano hadn't erupted under water.

[@Servants_Heart]

Look at Italys Naples underwater coastline. There is a submarine volcano off the coast of Naples.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

Bottom of the sea imagery has each pixel being almost 2km wide. Not enough to appreciate details like bottom of the ocean or sunk ships.

[@sharvo6]

3:13 glad to see Hermione Grainger on the project LOL

[@athopi]

In your opening vid clip of the satellite view, there is a large white plume some way off to the East at the same time as the eruption/explosion. I noticed it the day of the eruption as news was coming in. I've never heard any mention of it and wonder if the two were somehow related? It seems very concentrated to just be a normal Anvil, isolated as it is.

[@aron1332]

That is a tropical depression

[@TheSilmarillian]

Here in Australia its still effecting our weather

[@sarinamohanlal5866]

GO AMANDA

[@yvandaniel8050]

Imagine: you are diving above the caldera when suddenly the volcano start erupting...

[@Mastercrack_GS]

Increible lo que pudo haber sido si estuviera en tierra la erupcion, peor que el Krakatoa.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

I would surmise that no ash was due to seawater rushing back in and becoming steam, blasting all loose particles away.

[@bgl864]

is their a log in the hole at the bottom of the sea...

[@captaingenerica6351]

Bob Stern's voice sounds exactly like Mike Maloney.

[@bubzm954]

YEEEYAH THE KIWIS!!!!!

[@theuberhunter9698]

Is this why my cat has been staying inside lately?

[@JakeStar-oe9ev]

That thing put out about 10 megaton blast.. for comparison Ivy Mike (the world's first thermonuclear detonation) was 10.5 megatons and waaaaay hotter (150,000,000 degrees fareinhieght)

[@DavidvanDeijk]

there is a weird offset with the subtitles. just a little too much to be useful.

[@morgancalvi6675]

That volcano erupted for a month ...I'm not sure why people pick ONE date.

[@kevinnugent6530]

3:13 I'm pretty sure that's Hermione Granger

[@tigertiger1699]

👍🙏

[@wayneparkinson4558]

Mother earth as been doing a bit of excavating trying to be heard in her death cries??

[@accutronitisthe2nd95]

There's a Frog on a Log in a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea!

[@don66776]

Did he just say that this Tongan eruption was BIGGER than Krakatoa in 1883? Good grief! Krakatoa was a world (climate) changing event. I guess that one year ago we just had another one.

[@jedg4746]

The hydrothermal water plumes emanating from the bottom of the caldera makes me think of The Expanding Earth Theory and the release of newly-synthesised salt water from under the mantle. Volcanic eruptions could be generated indirectly by primary sub-mantle water pressure release rather than direct magma pressure release.

[@1.4142]

Send a submarine drone down there to check it out and collect samples.