Initiation of Infrasonic Geosphere Waves Caused by Explosive Eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai Volcano

Abstract

The paper presents the results of processing recordings of abnormal signals, which originated during the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano, and were registered by a laser nanobarograph and two laser strainmeters; there were three meters of sea-level variations, located in the Sea of Japan, and twelve meters of sea-level variations, located in the Pacific Ocean. Acoustic-gravity Lamb waves, generated in the atmosphere, caused disturbances of similar periods in the Earth’s crust, which were registered by laser strainmeters. Atmospheric impulse and Lamb waves during their propagation over the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan initiated meteorological tsunamis in their waters, at periods corresponding to the seiches (Eigen oscillations) of registration stations’ location areas. In the records of all sea wave recorders, we did not find signs of a classical tsunami origination, and in the records of laser strainmeters, we did not find signals corresponding to seabed displacements at the point of the volcano explosion that led to the formation of a classical tsunami.