14 DAY TRIAL // Off the coast of the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, a cluster of more than 36 volcanoes has formed right below the surface of the sea. On Monday, one of them began to erupt with such a force that it sent ashes and gas thousands of feet into the atmosphere, prompting the immediate dispatch of a science team on location. The investigators will analyze and assess the event and determine a future course of action for the local authorities to follow.
Because the active volcano is submerged, it's currently throwing large amounts of Steam into the atmosphere, as incandescent lava and gases coming out of its crater immediately turn the water above into its gas form, and the high pressure coming from inside the grounds sends everything above, fish included, high into the air. The eruption is currently taking place some 6 miles (10 kilometers) away from the main island of the kingdom, Tongatapu.
Thus far, the situation has appeared to be stable, and local authorities on the 800-kilometer (500-mile)-long archipelago have yet to issue an evacuation notice for its citizens. According to meteorological readings, constant winds have blown in the right direction over the past two days, sending the impressive columns of ash and gases away from the nearby island.
Residents in small communities along the coastal area of Tongatapu said that the eruption began early on Monday, after a series of sharp earthquakes that were reportedly felt as far as the capital city of Nuku'alofa. “This is not unusual for this area and we expect this to happen here at any time,” the chief of the nation's Geological Service, Keleti Mafi, explains. The experts adds that pieces of evidence of the eruptions will soon make themselves visible on the shores of the Fiji Islands, in the form of large amounts of pumice.
The archipelago has 170 islands, of which approximately 48 are inhabited. Its economy is barely able to support the population, and most people rely on money sent back home by those who are now working abroad, in places such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The communication and satellite sectors are dominated by noblemen and the royal families, while most small businesses are owned by a large number of Chinese immigrants, who have come to the country under a cash-for-passports scheme.