team of scientists has said volcano that erupted under sea near Tonga in January set record. The Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted on January 15th. It was the biggest explosion ever recorded using modern instruments and technology. It was also biggest to happen in the past 150 years. The scientists said the blast may have been as large as Krakatoa eruption that took place in Indonesia in 1883. Dr Robin Matoza from University of California said: "Tonga was truly global event, just as Krakatoa was. But we've now got all these geo-physical [recording] systems, and they recorded something that was really [unmatched] in modern data."
volcanic eruption sent atmospheric shock waves and tsunami waves around the world. It also caused sonic booms that people heard 10,000km away in Alaska. The eruption even lifted clouds in sky above UK, which is 16,500km from Tonga. Scientists in the UK reported sudden disappearance of clouds as they moved higher into atmosphere. UK scientist Professor Giles Harrison said atmosphere was " remarkably interconnected thing". He said: "What happens on one side of planet can [spread] around to the other side at speed of sound." NASA has said the volcano's effects also reached space and could have affected weather in space.
