Breaking News English

Tonga volcano eruption was a record explosion

Tonga Volcano - Level 0

The explosion from the Tonga volcano was the biggest ever recorded using modern technology. It was also the biggest in the past 150 years. A researcher said: "Tonga was a truly global event." He said there was nothing ever recorded that was as powerful as the Tonga volcano.

The eruption sent shock waves and tsunami waves around the world. People heard sonic booms in Alaska. It made clouds in the UK disappear. A scientist said: "What happens on one side of the planet can [spread] around to the other side at the speed of sound." NASA said the volcano changed the weather in space.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Tonga Volcano - Level 1

The Tonga volcano that erupted in January set a record. It was the biggest explosion ever recorded using modern technology. It was also the biggest in the past 150 years. Scientists say it may have been as big as the 1883 Krakatoa eruption. A researcher said: "Tonga was a truly global event....But we've now got all these geo-physical [recording] systems, and they recorded something that was really [unmatched] in the modern data."

The eruption sent shock waves and tsunami waves around the world. People heard sonic booms in Alaska. It even made clouds in the UK disappear. The UK is 16,500km from Tonga. A UK scientist said the atmosphere was very interconnected. He said: "What happens on one side of the planet can [spread] around to the other side at the speed of sound." NASA said the volcano's effects reached space and affected the weather in space.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Tonga Volcano - Level 2

Slowest

Scientists have said the Tonga volcano that erupted under the sea in January set a record. The Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was the biggest explosion ever recorded using modern technology. It was also the biggest to happen in the past 150 years. The scientists said it may have been as large as the Krakatoa eruption that took place in 1883. Researcher Dr Robin Matoza said: "Tonga was a truly global event, just as Krakatoa was. But we've now got all these geo-physical [recording] systems, and they recorded something that was really [unmatched] in the modern data."

The volcanic eruption sent shock waves and tsunami waves around the world. People heard sonic booms 10,000km away in Alaska. The eruption even lifted clouds in the sky in the UK, which is 16,500km from Tonga. UK scientists reported the sudden disappearance of clouds. One UK scientist said the atmosphere was "a remarkably interconnected thing". He said: "What happens on one side of the planet can [spread] around to the other side at the speed of sound." NASA has said the volcano's effects reached space. The volcano could have affected the weather in space.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Tonga Volcano - Level 3

A team of scientists has said the volcano that erupted under the sea near Tonga in January set a record. The Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted on January the 15th. It was the biggest explosion ever recorded using modern instruments and technology. It was also the biggest to happen in the past 150 years. The scientists said the blast may have been as large as the Krakatoa eruption that took place in Indonesia in 1883. Dr Robin Matoza from the University of California said: "Tonga was a truly global event, just as Krakatoa was. But we've now got all these geo-physical [recording] systems, and they recorded something that was really [unmatched] in the modern data."

The volcanic eruption sent atmospheric shock waves and tsunami waves around the world. It also caused sonic booms that people heard 10,000km away in Alaska. The eruption even lifted clouds in the sky above the UK, which is 16,500km from Tonga. Scientists in the UK reported the sudden disappearance of clouds as they moved higher into the atmosphere. UK scientist Professor Giles Harrison said the atmosphere was "a remarkably interconnected thing". He said: "What happens on one side of the planet can [spread] around to the other side at the speed of sound." NASA has said the volcano's effects also reached space and could have affected the weather in space.

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson