Aussie Team Probes Tonga’s Century Eruption
Scientific voyage to Tonga explores the risk of submarine volcanoes in the Pacific.
A team of scientists from the University of Tasmania , in collaboration with the Tonga Geological Services and other Australian and international partners, has embarked on a 54-day scientific voyage to Tonga aboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator.
The expedition will investigate the impacts of the 2022 eruption of Tonga’s underwater Hunga Volcano, which featured the largest volcanic eruption recorded in over a century, and which devastated the marine ecosystems within 100 kilometres of the site.
The voyage brings together 40 researchers and technical staff from Australia, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, who will carry out more than 120 scientific operations in and around the underwater volcano.
Voyage Chief Scientist, Associate Professor Rebecca Carey from the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences (CODES) within the School of Natural Sciences said the “ground zero” underwater scene produced by the blast offered a unique opportunity to study the recovery of deep-sea ecosystems.
“Our team will map the seafloor and sub-seafloor, extract sediment cores, conduct marine life surveys and explore environmental DNA in seawater so we can better understand volcanic processes and ecosystem recovery,” Associate Professor Carey said.
https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2025/australian-voyage-to-investigate-tongas-eruption-of-the-century