Tonga volcano eruption was largest ever recorded in over a century, scientists say

Nasa

The Hunga Tonga volcano eruption in January was the largest explosion ever recorded in the atmosphere in over a century, scientists have explained.

The explosion of the volcano in the South Pacific was the biggest ever recorded by modern geophysical equipment, said a study published last week in the journal Science.

The atmospheric pressure wave produced by Hunga Tonga – which erupted on 15 January – was said to be about a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima during the Second World War, according to Nasa.