The Pacific Ocean's 'sea monster scream' caused the tsunami to 'jump across' the continent

Scientists have discovered the unbelievable mechanism that causes tsunamis 15 meters high, spread across three oceans within just 20 hours, even mysteriously crossing South America: A terrifying sound wave .

Sound causes a tsunami, what seemed like a fantasy movie turned out to be reality for the tsunami caused by the Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha'apai eruption in early 2022, which hit many countries in Oceania , Asia, North America and South America.

Satellite image of the famous Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha'apai eruption in early 2022

According to Science Alert, waves as high as 15 meters in some locations have broken records for what shock waves from a volcano can cause.

That is the phenomenon of "acoustic gravity waves" (AGW), according to geologist Ricardo Ramalho from Cardiff University - UK. AGW is a special form of long-walled, powerful sound waves that can travel rapidly through the ocean, up into the atmosphere, beyond the waves of volcanic eruptions. And when many of these "monster screams" converge, they pump more energy into the tsunami.

This means a tsunami is larger, longer lasting, and travels farther and faster than it normally would. "The idea that tsunamis can be generated by atmospheric waves caused by volcanic eruptions is not new, but the event was first recorded by modern instrumentation, dense around the world," said Dr. Ramalho.

A combination of data recorded from sea level, atmosphere and satellite data was used to determine the presence of these waves, showing them a direct correlation between the signals. first of AGW-induced air turbulence and the onset of tsunamis in some locations.

Hunga Tonga Volcanic Eruption - Hunga Ha'apai was a very large eruption, but underwater eruptions don't usually produce tsunamis of this scale, so scientists went looking for anomalies. often.

One of these "sea monster screams" can extend for hundreds of kilometers or miles, and they can travel thousands of meters underwater at speeds close to the speed of sound.

The aforementioned tsunami moved 1.5–2.5 times faster than a typical volcanic-triggered tsunami, reaching speeds of about 1,000km/h as it crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. and the Indian Ocean in less than 20 hours.

Furthermore, because it partially traveled through the atmosphere, the tsunami was able to reach the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean without circumventing South America.