The recent volcanic eruption in the region was hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, says NASA
- Tonga’s eruption unleashed explosive forces equivalent to up to 30 million tonnes of TNT – hundreds of times more than Hiroshima’s atomic bomb, NASA says.
- As a comparison, the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945 was estimated to be about 15 kilotons (15,000 tonnes) of TNT.
- Mount St. Helens exploded in 1980 with 24 megatons and Krakatoa burst in 1883 with 200 megatons of energy.
- Before the eruption, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic island was two separate islands joined by new land formed in 2015.
- Nasa says the eruption was so powerful all the new land is gone, along with “large chunks” of the two older islands.
- Tonga says more than four fifths of the population has been affected by the tsunami and falling ash. Three people were confirmed killed in the tsunami last month.
Picture Credit : Google