Tonga volcano eruption was largest ever recorded in over a century, scientists say

Atmospheric pulse from eruption was as powerful as 1883 Krakatoa eruption, researchers say

The Hunga Tonga volcano eruption in January was the largest explosion ever recorded in the atmosphere in over a century, scientists have explained.

The explosion of the volcano in the South Pacific was the biggest ever recorded by modern geophysical equipment, said a study published last week in the journal Science.

The atmospheric pressure wave produced by Hunga Tonga – which erupted on 15 January – was said to be about a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima during the Second World War, according to Nasa.