Why an Underwater Volcano Is More Violent Near the Surface
Depth decides how violent an underwater eruption can be. In the deep ocean, high water pressure can suppress explosive volcanic activity, making eruptions less destructive. Move toward the surface and the terms change: lower water pressure, plus the high temperature of volcanic material, can cause violent explosions. The open question is the one that matters most for anyone on a coastline — scientists still do not fully understand the conditions under which volcanic activity causes a tsunami.
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Krakatau, the volcanic island in Indonesia, killed more than 30,000 people when it erupted in 1883. The debris was not the main killer: many of the victims died from the tsunami the eruption caused.
The modern case study is the 2022 Hunga eruption in Tonga, where an international team focused on the rapid caldera collapse that may have amplified its powerful tsunami.
The seafloor moved measurably. Comparisons of topography before and after the eruption showed that a roughly 4-kilometer-wide caldera — ground that collapses when magma drains from the reservoir beneath it — sank by about a kilometer.