High-resolution satellite images have revealed how the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano was transformed by last week’s powerful eruption.

The (mostly) undersea volcano experienced an explosive eruption on Saturday afternoon in what experts believe is the kind of explosion this volcano only produces roughly once every thousand years.

The eruption sent tsunami waves and atmospheric pressure waves around the planet, creating a spectacle so grand that it was witnessed by multiple satellites from space.

The animation below shows the atmospheric pressure waves rippling through the atmosphere in the hours following the eruption, as seen from the Himawari-8 satellite. This shockwave was travelling at around 1,200 km/h, with reports of it being heard in New Zealand and Alaska.

Video: Himawari-8 10-minute water vapour temperature difference. This animation shows the temperature difference of the upper-most water vapour in the atmosphere at 10-minute intervals. Because the pressure wave caused a brief change in air temperature, it could be detected by sensors on the Himawari-8 satellite. Black shows and short-term decrease in temperature and white a short-term increase in temperature of the upper-most water vapour in the atmosphere.

Days after the Himawari-8 satellite witnessed the scene shown above, another satellite passed over Tonga on Monday and revealed the aftermath of the eruption.

Prior to the last week, the top of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which sits mostly underwater, formed a small island rising around 100 metres above sea level. This island was almost wiped off the map by Saturday’s eruption, as you can see in the images below.

Images: Sentinel-2A satellite images of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai on December 8, 2021 (top) and January 17, 2022 (bottom). Source: Sentinel Hub

Researchers believe last week’s eruption may be part of a prolonged period of major volcanic unrest that could see Hunga Tonga–Hunga HaÊ»apai erupting again in the coming weeks, months or years.