Rapid submarine caldera collapse during the 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano (Tonga).
11 affiliations
- 1School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
- 2School of Environment, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
- 3Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
- 4NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA.
- 5National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.
- 6Earth Science New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand.
- 7Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
- 8Science Systems & Applications Inc., Lanham, MD USA.
- 9Echoview Software Pty Ltd, Hobart, Tasmania Australia.
- 10Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- 11Tonga Geological Service, Natural Resources Division, Ministry of Lands, Surveys, Planning and Natural Resources, Nuku'alofa, Tonga.
Abstract
Caldera-forming eruptions are among the most hazardous volcanic processes, particularly submarine ones. Yet, the dynamics of submarine caldera-forming eruptions and, thus, the hazards they pose are not well understood, owing to the relative inaccessibility of the resulting calderas and eruption products. Here we show the changes in geomorphology of Hunga volcano (Tonga) after the 15 January 2022 eruption. From repeat high-resolution seafloor mapping we find that the caldera deepened from ~150 m to ~850 m, with its structural caldera floor ~150 m below infill, and marginally widened from ~4.5 to 4.8 km in diameter. The total displaced volume is 8.9 ± 0.1 km3. Of this, 6.85 ± 0.05 km3 is attributed to caldera collapse, with the remainder due to surface erosion by eruption-fed density currents. Our post-eruption bathymetry also revealed landslide deposits intercalated with pyroclastic infill, implying syn-eruptive caldera collapse, and inward-stepping terraces, which we interpret as surface normal fault splays over piston subsidence. The caldera and magmatic system geometry suggests that ~8 km3 of Dense Rock Equivalent magma erupted to initiate collapse, less than 30% of the magma reservoir. The magnitude of the resulting tsunami was probably enhanced by the speed and style of caldera formation, highlighting the capacity for relatively small but steep calderas collapses at submarine volcanoes to generate hazardous tsunamis.
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BibTeX
@article{ribo2026rapid,
title = {{Rapid submarine caldera collapse during the 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano (Tonga).}},
author = {M Ribó and S J Cronin and S-H Park and J Garvin and I A Yeo and M A Clare and S J Watson and S-G Kang and G Sielfeld and D A Slayback and Y Choi and J Jung and J Yoo and B Hutton and S Stern and J D L White and M Brenna and J Hunt and K Mackay and M S Manu and F Latu'ila and N Heni and P Tuku'afu and T Kula},
journal = {Nature geoscience},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41561-026-02099-7},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996636},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rapid submarine caldera collapse during the 2022 climactic eruption of Hunga volcano (Tonga).
AU - M Ribó
AU - S J Cronin
AU - S-H Park
AU - J Garvin
AU - I A Yeo
AU - M A Clare
AU - S J Watson
AU - S-G Kang
AU - G Sielfeld
AU - D A Slayback
AU - Y Choi
AU - J Jung
AU - J Yoo
AU - B Hutton
AU - S Stern
AU - J D L White
AU - M Brenna
AU - J Hunt
AU - K Mackay
AU - M S Manu
AU - F Latu'ila
AU - N Heni
AU - P Tuku'afu
AU - T Kula
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - Nature geoscience
DO - 10.1038/s41561-026-02099-7
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996636
AB - Caldera-forming eruptions are among the most hazardous volcanic processes, particularly submarine ones. Yet, the dynamics of submarine caldera-forming eruptions and, thus, the hazards they pose are not well understood, owing to the relative inaccessibility of the resulting calderas and eruption products. Here we show the changes in geomorphology of Hunga volcano (Tonga) after the 15 January 2022 eruption. From repeat high-resolution seafloor mapping we find that the caldera deepened from ~150 m to ~850 m, with its structural caldera floor ~150 m below infill, and marginally widened from ~4.5 to 4.8 km in diameter. The total displaced volume is 8.9 ± 0.1 km3. Of this, 6.85 ± 0.05 km3 is attributed to caldera collapse, with the remainder due to surface erosion by eruption-fed density currents. Our post-eruption bathymetry also revealed landslide deposits intercalated with pyroclastic infill, implying syn-eruptive caldera collapse, and inward-stepping terraces, which we interpret as surface normal fault splays over piston subsidence. The caldera and magmatic system geometry suggests that ~8 km3 of Dense Rock Equivalent magma erupted to initiate collapse, less than 30% of the magma reservoir. The magnitude of the resulting tsunami was probably enhanced by the speed and style of caldera formation, highlighting the capacity for relatively small but steep calderas collapses at submarine volcanoes to generate hazardous tsunamis.
SN - 1752-0894
SN - 1752-0908
ER -