Fact check: False claim that video shows underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga
The claim: Video shows a volcanic eruption in Tonga
Social media users are claiming that a viral video shows a recent underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga that sent ash, debris and tsunami waves across the Pacific.
A 2-minute Facebook video shared Jan. 21 appears to show an underwater volcanic explosion near an island leaving a black sky and foggy dust in its aftermath.
Sounds of glass shattering and police sirens can also be heard in the background.
"TONGA: Dramatic footage from a land based video of the moment of eruption to the aftermath of superheated air volcanic dust together with a dust laden tsunami crest coming towards land and washing over the video camera," reads the caption of the post.
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The clip generated close to 10,000 interactions and 23,000 shares in less than a week.
But the claim is false.
The video is a digital simulation of what an undersea volcano eruption could look like, as independent fact-checking organizations have noted. And it was first shared 10 years ago.
Paste BN reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.
Video was digitally created
The video in the Facebook post is a digital simulation of an underwater volcano erupting off the coast of a town in Auckland, New Zealand. Brandspank, a graphic design agency in Auckland, shared the clip ten years ago on Vimeo, a video-sharing platform.
"High end 3D technologies and particle effects were combined with a background plate creating a realistic rendering of a catastrophic event," reads the caption of the clip.
The Auckland War Memorial Museum uploaded the same clip on YouTube in 2019 with the caption "this is an educational simulation of an earthquake caused by a volcanic eruption." The museum also featured the simulation on its first-floor volcano gallery.
Fact check: Photos show Uruguay, Australia, Fiji – not Tonga eruption aftermath
This isn't the first time that the Auckland simulation has been misattributed. In late 2019, AFP Fact Check debunked a claim that the digital simulation was live footage of a volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows a volcanic eruption in Tonga. The video is a digital simulation of an underwater volcanic eruption in New Zealand.
Our fact-check sources:
- Reuters, Jan. 25, Fact Check-Viral video of volcanic explosion in the sea is digital imagery
- Brandspank via Vimeo, accessed Jan. 27, Auckland Museum Volcanic Eruption
- Auckland War Memorial Museum via YouTube, Dec. 18, 2019, Auckland Museum Volcano Simulation - Auckland Museum
- AFP Fact Check, Dec. 19, 2019, This is a simulation video of an undersea volcanic eruption
- Paste BN, Jan. 23, Fact check: Photos show Uruguay, Australia, Fiji – not Tonga eruption aftermath
- Paste BN, Jan. 22, Before & after images reveal impact of undersea volcano eruption and tsunami in Tonga
- Paste BN, Jan. 18, Before and after images show Tonga smothered in ash after volcanic eruption causes tsunami
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, accessed Jan. 27, Volcanoes
- Brandspank, accessed Jan. 27, About
- AFP Hong Kong, Jan. 20, Digital animation falsely shared as 'actual video of Tonga volcano eruption'
- Vimeo, accessed Jan. 27, About
- Insider News via YouTube, Jan. 18, Video Captures Massive Volcanic Eruption In Tonga
- Sky News via YouTube, Jan. 18, Tonga Eruption: What happened and why?
- CNN-News18 via YouTube, Jan. 15, Hunga Tonga Volcano Eruption Live Caught On Camera By Ships In The Region
- Paste BN, Jan. 15, Tsunami impacts hit West Coast after volcano eruption in Pacific; stay away from beaches, officials warn
- CNN, Jan. 18, Tonga remains cut off after a massive eruption and tsunami. Here's what we know
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