Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai

The January 15, 2022 eruption produced the highest volcanic plume ever measured by satellite — approximately 57 km (187,000 ft), reaching the mesosphere.

The atmospheric shockwave from the eruption circled the globe at least six times and was detected by barometers on every continent.

The sonic boom was reportedly audible in New Zealand, 2,000 km away, and possibly as far as Alaska, over 9,000 km distant.

The eruption injected approximately 146 teragrams (146 million metric tons) of water vapor into the stratosphere — increasing global stratospheric moisture by roughly 10%.

The tsunami generated by the eruption killed people in Peru, more than 10,000 km from the source.

The eruption severed Tonga's single undersea fiber-optic communications cable, leaving the island nation without international communications for over a month.

The 2014–2015 eruption created one of the few new volcanic islands formed in the 21st century, studied by NASA as an analog for volcanic processes on Mars.

Geological research revealed at least three previous caldera-forming eruptions in the volcano's history, suggesting a cycle of catastrophic collapse and rebuilding.

The 2022 eruption is widely compared to the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in terms of explosive violence, atmospheric effects, and tsunami generation.

Unlike most large eruptions that cool the climate via sulfate aerosols, the Hunga Tonga eruption's massive water vapor injection may have produced a slight warming effect.

Wave heights of 15–20 m were recorded on some islands near the volcano during the 2022 tsunami.

The eruption destroyed most of the combined island that had formed during the 2014–2015 eruption, leaving only small remnants above sea level.