Significant volcanic eruptions in Tonga over the past 2000 years
The following list shows all volcanoes of the last 2000 years with significant damage. The column "VEI" stands for the volcano explosivity index, which represents the strength of the eruption from a geological point of view. This takes into account the height and volume of the rocks ejected. The scale ranges from 0-8, with the severity of the outbreak increasing tenfold with each value. For example, a VEI of 1 means that the volcano throws lava and rock masses of 100,000 to 1 million cubic metres up to 1 kilometre high. From VEI 8 a volcano is considered a super volcano. Here, more than 1000 cubic kilometers of tephra are thrown to altitudes of more than 25 kilometers.
The highest explosivity index in Tonga was reached in the review period at VEI 4 in 1886. The volcano Niuafo'ou The volcano Klaus threw tephramasses of at least 100 million cubic meters over 10 kilometers high. Volcanoes of this size do not normally erupt more frequently than every 10 years.
Eruption
Volcano
VEI
Deaths
Total damage
08/30/1892
Tofua
2
0
08/31/1886
Niuafo'ou
4
0
06/24/1853
Niuafo'ou
0
25
All volcanos in Tonga
Volcano
Elevation
Status
Last eruption
Tofua Island
506 m
Active
Niuafo'ou
260 m
Active
Leith Island
518 m
Active
Fonualei
129 m
Active
These statistics are based on datas from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP), and the Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database of the National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA) / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH. Several data have been summarized and translated.