After an enormous undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga on Saturday, photos and videos taken across the Pacific have captured the aftermath of the eruption, as well as the tsunami that followed.
The phenomenon prompted authorities worldwide to issue tsunami warnings and advisories as far away as British Columbia and Alaska, where a sonic boom could even be heard.
Images taken on the ground in Pacific coastal communities have shown the effects of the eruption -- from the massive mushroom cloud-like plumes of ash that it produced to the infrastructure damage caused by tsunami waves and flooding.
The Tonga Geological Services reported that the plume of smoke reached as high as 20 kilometres above sea level, spanning a radius of 240 kilometres. The agency also reported that ashfall had occurred on some of Tonga's islands, which can cause stinging or irritation to the eyes.
In a Facebook livestream verified by the news agency Storyful, Tonga resident Deborah Mahe filmed herself in a flooded church, with the water up to at least her ankles inside the building. Outside the window, floodwaters could be seen rapidly rushing through the street.
Another Facebook livestream from Tongan resident Ray Kalonihea Tu'itakau shows trees and houses along the shoreline completely consumed by tsunami waves.
At a marina in Tutukaka, New Zealand, tsunami waves tore apart docks and overturned boats. (Tanya White/Northern Advcate/NZME via AP)
In Santa Cruz, Calif., nearly 8,500 kilometres from where the volcano erupted, tsunami waters surged through the harbour and inundated a parking lot. (Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP)
Footage filmed by Pacifica, Calif. resident Savannah Peterson and confirmed by Storyful shows sea foam and waves crashing along the beachfront on Saturday morning and jumping over the seawall.
