Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryThe January 15, 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the South Pacific produced an eruption plume that reached approximately 57 km in altitude — well into the mesosphere, and by a wide margin the tallest volcanic plume ever measured by satellite, surpassing the previous record (Pinatubo in 1991, which reached about 40 km). The same eruption also generated the most intense volcanic lightning storm ever recorded, with over 192,000 lightning events detected in a single six-hour window, and triggered a globally observed atmospheric pressure wave and tsunami.
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The January 15, 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the South Pacific produced an eruption plume that reached approximately 57 km in altitude — well into the mesosphere, and by a wide margin the tallest volcanic plume ever measured by satellite, surpassing the previous record (Pinatubo in 1991, which reached about 40 km). The same eruption also generated the most intense volcanic lightning storm ever recorded, with over 192,000 lightning events detected in a single six-hour window, and triggered a globally observed atmospheric pressure wave and tsunami.
The greatest altitude ever reached by a volcanic eruption plume, as directly measured by satellite observation.
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Limits Registry. LR-TALLEST-VOLCANIC-ERUPTION-PLUME. Tallest volcanic eruption plume ever recorded. 2026.