Solid Earth–atmosphere interaction forces during the 15 January 2022 Tonga eruption

Abstract

Rapid venting of volcanic material during the 15 January 2022 Tonga eruption generated impulsive downward reaction forces on the Earth of ~2.0 × 10¹³ N that radiated seismic waves observed throughout the planet, with ~25 s source bursts persisting for ~4.5 hours. The force time history is determined by analysis of teleseismic P waves and Rayleigh waves with periods approximately <50 s, providing insight into the overall volcanic eruption process. The atmospheric acoustic-gravity Lamb wave expanding from the eruption produced broadband ground motions when transiting land, along with driven and conventional tsunami waves. Atmospheric standing acoustic waves near the source produced oscillatory peak forces as large as 4 × 10¹² N, exciting resonant solid Earth Rayleigh wave motions at frequencies of 3.7 and 4.6 mHz.