For many years, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano poked above the waves as a pair of narrow rocky isles, one named Hunga Tong and the other Hunga Ha'apai. An eruption in 2014 built up a third island that later connected the trio into one landmass. And when the volcano awoke in December, the uninhabited island at the peak's tip slowly grew as bits of volcanic rock and ash built up new land.

Then came the catastrophic eruption on January 15. As seen in satellite images, only two tiny outcrops of rock now betray the beast lurking beneath the waves. But whether it happens in weeks or years, the volcano will rise again.

This cycle of destruction and rebirth