Tsunami waves of up to around 1 meter that hit parts of Japan's coast following the eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga on Saturday stumped weather experts, as volcanic eruptions are said to rarely cause a rise in tide levels.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, an underwater volcano located about 8,000 kilometers from Japan, erupted around 1:10 p.m. JST on Saturday, resulting in a plume of smoke reaching a height of 16,000 meters and blanketing the area in a thick film of volcanic dust, according to satellite imagery.
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