Some "InfoGraphics" from NZ.

Tonga: Size of eruption put into perspective (InfoGraphics & Maps)
https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/tonga-size-of-eruption-put-into-perspective-x4-infographics

Roger

 

The pressure wave was detected as it passed over Auckland, with a 4mb pressure blip. That’s 1,250 miles away.

Do you think will be able to detect a pressure wave in the UK? It should be around 5pm I'd have thought.

Reminds me of Mt St Helens and sudden explosive eruption. 

Boom!!

https://twitter.com/Chimp_83/status/1482265201898577921?s=20

 

I wonder what the VEI is for the eruption?

 Looks like it's more than 5.  7 looks too high.

A low 6?

I see the entire west coast of the US and Canada are under a tsunami advisory currently with a (relatively) small tsunami impacting certain parts. The amount of energy released in this eruption seems immense and I have read reports of the shockwave been heard in Alaska (confirmed by the NWS).

This is Santa Cruz CA a short while go:

WATCH: Tsunami from Tonga volcano eruption starting to cause minor flooding in Santa Cruz, California pic.twitter.com/ELq8IKMEUV

— BNO News (@BNONews) January 15, 2022

And a second surge at the same location: https://twitter.com/TimCatteraPhoto/status/1482396514504691713 

 

 Looks like it's more than 5.  7 looks too high.

A low 6?

I was thinking at least a 5 myself but I was reading this which would suggest only 2 if I'm reading it correctly.

https://www.gdacs.org/report.aspx?eventtype=VO&eventid=1000036

Surely it's bigger than a 2.

Get away from shore: US and Japan warn on tsunami - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60007119.

My WS has just recently recorded the increased pressure reading associated with the shockwave from the eruption. Just a small but very noticeable blip. Really impressive.

What were your readings, could you maybe even post a graph?

My WS has just recently recorded the increased pressure reading associated with the shockwave from the eruption. Just a small but very noticeable blip. Really impressive.

That is remarkable - the shock wave has travelled half way around the planet.

My WS has just recently recorded the increased pressure reading associated with the shockwave from the eruption. Just a small but very noticeable blip. Really impressive.

As I said, nothing too exciting or noteworthy unless you knew what you were looking for, but here you go. 

It’s the blip to the right. It was basically a 1hPa increase (when pressure had been falling all day and currently is) followed by a quick 2hPa drop.

My WS has just recently recorded the increased pressure reading associated with the shockwave from the eruption. Just a small but very noticeable blip. Really impressive.

I've just looked at mine and there's a blip here too - or an up then down. And the barometer seems to have settled down 1mb lower...

 

As I said, nothing too exciting or noteworthy unless you knew what you were looking for, but here you go. 

It’s the blip to the right. It was basically a 1hPa increase (when pressure had been falling all day and currently is) followed by a quick 2hPa drop.

Yup, quite like that here too.

This event today really does put in perspective how powerful our planet is, and ultimately how insignificant we really are.

Absolutely fascinating day

I'm not sure they do actually - for me it's rather the opposite.

Humans move vastly more material about on this planet than the forces of geology do and the long term feed of gasses we put into the atmosphere will have much more impact than this eruption on the atmosphere. 

The way I look at it, it's a very big volcanic eruption but a blip compared to the long term effect we are having. That is what puts it into perspective for me.

 A very impressive picture

...which doesn't seem to want to load anymore

Yup, quite like that here too.

And from here as well:

https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/ILEYSDOW1/graph/2022-01-15/2022-01-15/daily

It's also interesting how the pressure had been remarkably stable up until the shockwave hit, after the main shockwave it then became more erratic on the graph. Aftershocks? A distortion caused by the wave making the high wobble, so to speak? Who knows, but it's fascinating to see!

 A very impressive picture

...which doesn't seem to want to load anymore

The link is working again this morning with pictures (though a further link to an animation is rather slow)

I'd love to know what the TNT equivalents are of this.

There's only about 2 or 3 volcanoes that have had explosions so violent that pressure waves have travelled round the world.

Tambora and Krakatoa come to mind.

Krakatoa was 220 megatons equivalent and the shock wave went round the planet 4 times.

Tsar Bomba the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated. That was detonated in 1961 and it was 51 megatons equivalent and that travelled round the world twice.