plume of devastation known as “ pyroclastic denseness currents ” rive across the seabed following the Tonga Eruption in 2022 , a volcanic blast that ’s claim near - countless world records . Carrying rubble like rock , mud , and ash , they traveled at stop number of up to 122 kilometers ( 75 miles ) per hour and carried on for over 100 kilometers ( 62 mi ) .

The 2022 Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai eruption in Tonga occurred beneath the Pacific Ocean on January 15 , 2022 . When it went up , it transferred roughly146 billion kilograms(322 billion pounds ) of water into the stratosphere , where it could rest for up to a decade and contribute to the degradation of the ozone bed .

It was thelargest natural explosion in a one C , triggering an11 - hour lightning marathon , and thehighest plumage ever memorialise , reach heights of 57 kilometers ( 34 miles ) , more than 17 kilometer ( 11 miles ) clear of the previous platter holder , Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines .

And it seems what go up also went sideways , as the devastation that traveled underwater during the mass murder has now set its own phonograph recording , report theBBC . Known as pyroclastic density stream , they ’re drive by all the stuff that explode into the bang column – largely superheated ash and rock – collapsing down into the surrounding water supply .

As the debris enter the ocean , it formed a stampede of muddy , ashy destruction that charge up across the seafloor at over 120 kilometer / h ( 75 mph ) , put out marine life and sever telecommunications cable that keeps the Pacific kingdom online . The source of a young newspaper about the eruption suggest that if we ’re to return connectivity in a meaningful way , more extensiveseafloor mappingis needed to name other submerged volcanoes that could go through like eruptions .

Tonga is n’t alone in present this scourge from submerged volcanoes , and the authors have install that there are plenty more we need to be keep an eye on if we ’re to previse and better plan for the next bragging eruption in light of all we ’ve learned from Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai .

“ We confirm that bedforms observed on many other shallow submerged volcano worldwide can be bring on by powerful eruptions , demonstrate that the hazards live at Hunga volcano can go on elsewhere , ” they write .

“ volatile eruptions from these often unsurveyed and unmonitored submerged volcano can produce high - energy bomber density currents and guarantee far great thoughtfulness as tsunamigenic rootage and as primary threat to vulnerable coastal community and critical subsea infrastructure . ”

The subject is published inScience .