Original title: Japanese media: Tonga volcano eruption spreads to Japanese islands, tsunami and pumice follow
Overseas Network, January 24, Tonga’s volcanic eruption has attracted global attention. Japanese media said that Japan, which is more than 8,000 kilometers away, was also unexpectedly affected. Japanese experts pointed out that there are many undiscovered active volcanoes in Japan, and there is a risk of large-scale eruption, and the impact will be immeasurable.
According to the Japanese media “News Post-seven” website on the 24th, when the news of the Tonga volcanic eruption first came to light, the Japan Meteorological Agency originally said “don’t worry about the danger of tsunami”. After that, Japan observed rising tide levels. In the early morning of the 16th, the Meteorological Agency issued an emergency tsunami warning, and the TV program also repeatedly rolled the warnings of “run away”. In the end, the tsunami wave that reached Japan was as high as 1.2 meters, and more than 30 fishing boats in Kochi and Tokushima prefectures capsized.
The Japan Meteorological Agency explained the unforeseen situation, saying that “a change in tide level cannot determine whether a tsunami will be triggered”. Takahashi Xue, a professor at Ritsumeikan University’s Pacific Rim Civilization Research Center, also said: “At present, submarine volcanoes have erupted, air pressure has fluctuated greatly, and sea levels have fluctuated. It can be considered that a tsunami will occur, but the real cause is currently unknown.”
Japanese media also pointed out that submarine volcanic eruptions are sometimes more serious than land-based volcanic eruptions. In August 2021, the underwater volcano on the Ogasawara Islands in Japan erupted, and the volcanic pumice not only affected the Japanese waters, but also drifted to Taiwan, causing losses to the local fishery. Takahashi said: “This time the volcanic eruption in the waters of Tonga, the volcanic pumice may have drifted to Japan along with the Japan Warm Current and the Tsushima Current.”
Takahashi believes that the threat posed by submarine volcanic eruptions is far more than a simple tsunami and pumice. “Once seawater flows into the erupting part of the underwater volcano (inside the volcano), it will cause the water vapor to explode and trigger a large-scale eruption. There have been such cases before.” Japanese media said that Japan has found 111 active volcanoes, of which 50 were identified as “requiring timely monitoring and observation”. In addition, experts believe that there are many hidden volcanoes in Japan that have not been discovered.
Kokichi Tatsumi, a professor at Kobe University in Japan, said: “Active volcanoes refer to volcanoes that have erupted within 10,000 years and have a lifespan of about one million years. There are many volcanoes in Japan, and the danger of erupting together must be taken into account. Especially undersea volcanoes There is almost no detailed observational data for the eruption, and no one will know when and where the fire erupted.” Japanese media said that even the eruption of the Tonga volcano so far apart had such an impact on Japan, and it can be expected that once the Japanese archipelago What harm will the surrounding submarine volcanoes cause? (Wang Shanning from Overseas Network)
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