Undersea Volcano in South Pacific

This must be an impressive sight in person. It's the ash cloud from an undersea volcano off Tonga.

Authorities in Tonga said there was no immediate danger to people living on the island. Tonga's chief geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said: "It's a very significant eruption, on quite a large scale." However, he added, "This is not unusual for this area and we expect this to happen here at any time."

Tonga's police deputy commander Taniela Faletau said coastal villages close to the broiling ocean site were not yet at risk and that no warnings had been issued.

On Thursday, trade winds were blowing gas and steam away from the island, although large amounts of pumice thrown up by the volcano would probably soon line beaches on the southern coast of nearby Fiji.

However if the volcano continued to grow, it had the potential to be devastating, one expert told The Times. Professor Simon Turner, a geochemist at Macquarie University in Sydney, said: 'Underwater volcanos can be violent, and have a strong climatic effect ... This one isn't getting into the stratosphere yet but as it continues to grow that is a possibility. "

UPDATE -- This afternoon a 7.9 scale earthquake hit the same area, triggering a tsunami warning. Apparently it was a precautionary run for your life moment as the news is quiet now.