An intense powerful explosion took place from the volcano at around 20:30 local time today as reported Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Wellington.
A spectacular ash plume rose several kilometers above the summit and given the submarine volcano’s summit elevation (149 m), the eruption sent a tall ash cloud up to 15 km (50,000 ft) altitude.
Sentinel-5 and TROPOMI satellite-based measurements of SO2 concentrations in the atmosphere detected about 9 kilotons extended to the north of the volcano.
The loud explosion at the uninhabited island was heard about 170 km away from nearby islands as reported in social media.
From available satellite images and pictures, the presence of water is likely causing significant explosive interaction (phreatomagmatic activity) of water and magma.
