Predicted travel times for classic tsunami waves triggered by the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano

Predicted travel times for classic tsunami waves triggered by the 15 January 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano (blue star). Colored bands represent hours after the eruption. The speed of tsunami waves depends on the depth of the ocean areas they traverse. This relationship plus knowledge of Pacific Ocean depths enables scientists to produce travel time maps shortly after a tsunami-triggering event. Green triangles are DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) buoys with instruments that measure water level to assist tsunami detection. From NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.