A composite seismic source model for the first major event during the
2022 Hunga (Tonga) volcanic eruption
Abstract
The violent eruption of the Hunga (Tonga) submarine volcano on 15
January 2022 caused a 58 km-heigh ash plume, catastrophic tsunami, and
significant global seismic and infrasound waves. However, the physical
mechanism underpinning its multiple-explosive events remains unclear,
and its resolvability relies on the seismic waveform source inversion.
The studies of two different point-source models, the seismic moment
tensor (MT) and the single force (SF), have been performed separately
for this eruption, which, interestingly, can explain the seismic data
adequately. Here, we use a joint inversion of MT and SF to unravel a
composite source of an explosive MT and a significant upward force for
the first major explosive event. Regarding the direction and magnitude,
we propose that the upward force is likely a rebound force in response
to the pressure drop on the seafloor because the water body above the
volcano was abruptly uplifted by the shallow underwater explosion.