The morphological evolution of Home Reef volcano, Tonga
Home Reef is a submarine volcano located in the central Tongan archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. Since 2022, the volcano has erupted intermittently, with alternating phases of activity and dormancy, which have gradually modified the island’s shape and size.
The data visualisation in the image, derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2 data, shows the volcanic island's progressive expansion over time. Since September 2022, the island’s surface area has increased from approximately 3 hectares to around 26 hectares, making it nearly nine times larger. The backdrop of the data visualisation is an image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 15 February 2026, which depicts the volcano during its current active eruptive phase. This image reveals the vivid thermal signal associated with lava and a plume ascending above the volcanic vent.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 data support the monitoring of rapid morphological changes in volcanic islands, contributing to hazard assessment, maritime safety, and the observation of newly formed land in dynamic oceanic environments.
