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Tonga's Underwater Volcano Might Affect the Fiji Beach Scene

If you're looking to suntan on the beaches in Fiji in the very near future, just beware of pumice from a underwater volcano that's been erupting in Tonga. Yes, an underwater volcano in between two of Tonga's volcanic islands has been shooting smoke, steam and ash into the sky, causing scientists to travel to the site today to see what's going on.

Right now the eruptions are not dangerous to any of the coastal villages nearby or to the fishes despite the presence of volcanic ash on the ocean surface. However, neighboring island Fiji could be hit with "large amounts of pumice" on their southern coast islands, making for a very gritty sort of beach day.

The Volcanism Blog has a great satellite shot of what the underwater volcano looks like but for the real shock and awe check out the video above from Live Leak.

Related Stories:
· Tongan inspection team heads to undersea volcano [AP]