Article: "How the Tonga eruption rang Earth ‘like a bell’"

  The January 15, 2022, Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic explosion near Tonga was the largest natural explosion ever recorded (i.e., since the 1960s when scientists started deploying a network of sensors and satellites--the 1815 Tambura and 1883 Krakatoa explosions were more powerful). It was, the article states, an order of magnitude larger than the explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980. But as the Popular Science article referenced in the title explains, there was a mystery: why were there not more damage and deaths? The article noted that it devastated Tonga but it only caused four deaths in the archipelago. The island nation's disaster response played a role, as did the fact that Covid-19 lockdowns meant that there were no tourists. But the saving grace for Tonga was apparently geographic. 

    The main island located 40 miles south of the eruption is surrounded by shallow seas and coral reefs. The shallow seas meant smaller waves; and the coral reefs also seemed to shield the island. Conversely, the article explains, the isle of Tofua, about 55 miles northeast of the eruption, is a volcanic caldera and sits in deep waters with sharp, mountainous coasts that offer no protection from an incoming tsunami. As a result, it may have been struck by waves more than 100 feet tall. But as Tofua is uninhabited, there was no loss of human life.