The eruption of Tonga volcano will lead to a chain reaction of volcanic eruption? Is the ring of fire active?

On June 5438+1October 65438+May, 2022, the Hongjiatonga volcano in the Tonga sea area erupted, and the volcanic ash released by the eruption went straight to an altitude of 10,000 meters. Such a huge explosive force makes people wonder whether it will trigger a chain reaction of volcanic eruption. Is the volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean active?

The Pacific Ring of Fire, also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire or Ring of Fire, is an area in most parts of the Pacific coast, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes often occur. The ring of fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt, about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) long and 500 kilometers (365,438+00 miles) wide.

The ring of fire includes the Pacific coast of South America, North America and kamchatka peninsula, and some islands in the western Pacific. The ring of fire is the direct result of plate tectonics, especially the movement, collision and destruction of lithospheric plates under and around the Pacific Ocean. The collision created a series of almost continuous subduction zones, where volcanoes formed and earthquakes occurred. The consumption of oceanic lithosphere at the boundary of these convergent plates forms trenches, volcanic arcs, back-arc basins and volcanic belts.

Tonga is located on the volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean. The volcano named Hunga Tonga is located in Fonuafo'ou, a submarine volcano, about 30 kilometers (65,438+09 miles) south and 65 kilometers (40 miles) north on Tongtabu Island. This volcano is part of the highly active Tonga-Kemadek Islands volcanic arc, which is a subduction zone extending from northeast New Zealand to Fiji. The volcano itself is an undersea volcano. Due to the volcanic eruption, it broke through the sea level in 2009. It is located underwater, between Hongjiatongga Island and Hongjiaha Apai Island, which are the remains of the western and northern edges of the crater respectively. The crater is about150m below sea level and rises 200m from the seabed.

According to the US Geological Survey, there is no clear evidence that volcanic eruptions will trigger volcanic eruptions hundreds of kilometers/miles away or on different continents. Some historical examples show that volcanoes (or craters) that are about 10 km (6 miles) away from each other may erupt at the same time, but it is difficult to determine whether one eruption led to another.

There may be two situations that will lead to a chain reaction of other volcanic eruptions.

1. The same volcano in magma chamber sometimes causes disturbances to each other. 19 12 the eruption of mount novaru in Alaska (the largest eruption in the 20th century) was driven by the magma of magma chamber under mount kamai, which is 10 km (6 miles) away. Kamai volcano did not erupt, but after the eruption of Novalaputa volcano, Kamai volcano collapsed into the empty magma chamber below.

Some individual volcanoes or vents are considered to be part of a larger volcanic complex. In some cases, an eruption does not really "trigger" the eruption of nearby vents, but the moving magma will reach the surface in many places. For example, Tavurvur and Vulcan cones are the vents of rabaul crater in Papua New Guinea, which erupted almost simultaneously in 1994.

However, not all nearby volcanoes show this behavior. Kilauea volcano is located on the side of Mauna Loa volcano, so they are only 33 kilometers (20 miles) apart, but the magma chamber of the two volcanoes is completely different. Although they are very close, it seems that the eruption of one will not trigger the eruption of the other.

So under normal circumstances, a volcanic eruption will not lead to other volcanic eruptions. Unless there are some special circumstances, it can lead to a chain reaction of other volcanic eruptions. But this situation is rare.

Actually, it is not, because the volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean has been in a relatively active state. The volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean contains about 850- 1000 volcanoes, which have been active for the past 1 1700 years (accounting for about two-thirds of the global total). In the past 1 1700 years, the four largest volcanic eruptions on earth occurred on the volcano in the ring of fire. Historically, more than 350 volcanoes in the ring of fire have been active. About 76% of the earthquake energy on the earth is released in the form of fire ring earthquake. About 90% of the earthquakes on the earth and about 8 1% of the major earthquakes in the world occur near the ring of fire.

The power of a super eruption of Yellowstone super volcano is equivalent to the power of explosion 1000 Hiroshima atomic bombs per second. The size of Yellowstone Crater can even fit Tokyo into Yellowstone National Park's super crater. If a large crater erupts again in Yellowstone National Park, the impact on the United States will be enormous. The consequences of the Yellowstone super volcano eruption may affect three quarters of the United States. The biggest danger will be within 1000 km of the explosion, and 90% people may die there.

Such a huge eruption will even affect the whole world. Volcanoes can inject sulfur-containing gas into the upper atmosphere to form sulfuric acid aerosol, which will spread rapidly around the world. Scientists believe that sulfur aerosol is the main reason for climate cooling after volcanic eruption. Aerosols in the upper atmosphere also scatter sunlight, making the sky look like a cloudy winter morning all day. A few days after the eruption, the sky in Europe will appear red. Volcanic ash trapped in the stratosphere will be suspended for months or even years. Volcanic ash and different volcanic gases will block most of the sunlight and have a great influence on plants. In the past 265,438+million years, there have been three super eruptions in Yellowstone National Park. The latest was 600,000 years ago. But don't worry, there is no sign that Yellowstone volcano is about to erupt.

In a word, this eruption of Tonga volcano is really powerful. However, it does not mean that this eruption will lead to other volcanic eruptions, nor does it mean that the volcanic belt around the Pacific Ocean will enter an active mode. Finally, I hope the people in the disaster will be safe. Let's call it a day. I am Fire Zongjun. See you next time.