A team of scientists has returned from a 54-day voyage on an Australian research vessel. They explored the impacts of the devastating 2022 eruption of Tonga's underwater volcano.
The international team of 40 scientists last week completed their research in and around the Hunga Volcano, which erupted in January 2022.
The blast sent an ash column 36 miles into the sky, triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami and blanketed 62 miles of seafloor around the volcano, as well as nearby Tongan islands, with volcanic ash.
The voyage brought together scientists from Australia, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S.
The team used extensive scientific equipment aboard the research vessel, including an underwater camera system, to conduct more than 160 scientific operations in and around the volcano.
They found eruption deposits extended more than 50 miles in all directions from the volcano. Thick deposits of volcanic mud and ash have created an unstable seafloor, making it difficult for marine life to survive.
The research team will now spend months analyzing seafloor mapping data, rock samples, and biological specimens collected during the voyage.
