First Tongariro eruption in over 100 years


Ash cloud over Ohakune - Source: Jan Abbot

LATEST: A larger, molten eruption is possible if volcanic activity continues at Mt Tongariro.
The volcano rumbled into life at 11:50pm last night, sending ash and rock a kilometre into the air, prompting a potential threat warning for central North Island regions.
The "small scale" eruption was a total surprise, with the volcano last erupting in 1897, GNS Science said.
GNS scientist Brad Scott said there was strong seismic activity for about 15 to 20 minutes after the eruption, however in the 24 hours prior and hours since, there had not been any significant activity.
There had been no lahars or lava flows, and while it was too early to predict what might happen next, GNS scientists expected heightened activity which could go on for weeks.
It had revised its colour code from red to orange, or from "eruption is forecast to be imminent" to "volcano is exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption".
The eruption was purely driven by the hydrothermal system, generating steam rather than molten lava, Scott said at a briefing this morning.
Hydrothermal eruptions tended to recur and could escalate into more larger and energetic molten eruptions which spewed out lava and rocks, he said.

....more at link
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7426862 ... -100-years

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

TONGARIRO FACTS AND FIGURES

The Tongariro volcano is a massive complex of volcanic cones formed by at least 12 vents erupting over more than 275,000 years.

Mt Tongariro itself is a complex of craters that have been active at different periods.

Ngauruhoe, the central 2291-metre peak, is the youngest and highest cone in the complex and the most active, last erupting in 1977.

Ngauruhoe is regarded as the main vent of the complex.

Mt Tongariro is the northern-most of the three volcanoes, with Mt Ruapehu the southern-most.

Until Monday night, the last time Mt Tongariro erupted was in 1896-97, when the upper Te Maari crater erupted, dumping 50mm of ash on the Desert Road, and wafting ash as far as Napier.

In 1868, violent earthquakes marked the eruption that formed the upper Te Maari crater, named after a Maori chieftainess.

Geologists describe Tongariro as an "active stratovolcano", or composite cone, made up of alternating layers of ash and lava flow.

GNS Science has four seismographs, one microphone, two GPS stations and chemical and gas monitors on Tongariro.

Two web cameras face Mt Ngauruhoe to monitor volcanic activity.

Tongariro in Maori means "fire carried away or seized by the cold south wind".

Tongariro National Park was given to the nation in 1887 by chief Te Heuheu Tukino IV.

It is the country's oldest national park and is one of the country's most popular destinations for tramping and day walks.

Parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed in the park, where Mt Ngauruhoe was cast as Mt Doom.


Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Tongariro-breaks-115-year-silence-with-photos-video/tabid/423/articleID/264379/Default.aspx#ixzz22orDRJUs

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I have marked the location of Mt.Tongariro on the RT Members Location Google Map.

It looks closish to me... but it is a long way from Auckland.

It's been a few years, but I have hiked around Mt Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu (a more active volcano).. the whole area is National Park and Forest.... Mt Ruapehu has ski resorts and the like.. a very popular tourist location.

RT Members Location Google map (Interactive)
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=21 ... 158.027344

Screen Shot (not interactive)

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Live Updates: Mount Tongariro eruption
Published: 7:26AM Tuesday August 07, 2012 Source: ONE News

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/live-up ... on-5010016

Latest: 1.45pm:


A Turangi resident - footage of the eruption on an iPhone.


Previous Pics:


Cloud shrouds the central North Island mountains after
Mt Tongariro erupted - Source: SNPA



ONE News has aerial shots of the area surrounding
Mount Tongariro.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Mt Tongariro - Prior to Eruption

(FWIW: I think this is taken from near Mt Ruapehu.. I have stood in that approximate location)

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

As the reports say... this eruption seems to be driven by Hydrothermal Activity (steam) and not Magma coming to the surface (lava flows)

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Latest Update
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/live-up ... on-5010016

2.30pm: Bay of Plenty's civil defence group said a national advisory from the Ministry of Civil Defence about Tongariro's volcanic activity has been cancelled.
The latest assessment from GNS Science is that eruption activity has subsided.
There is no ash being produced from the volcano presently.

Panic Over?

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Second New Zealand volcano 'burps' after Mt Tongariro eruption

GNS Science reported no fresh convulsions at the Mount Tongariro volcano, which sent a plume of ash 6100 metres into the atmosphere, showering the North Island and disrupting domestic air travel.

But a monitoring camera showed the volcanic White Island, just off the coast of North Island, had experienced a small eruption that was probably unrelated to Mt Tongariro, said Craig Miller, a volcanologist with GNS, the official monitoring body.

"The crater-rim camera appears to be splattered with mud/ash this morning, so it seems there has been some kind of burp," he said.

More at link with pictures.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/w ... 6445867455

White Island is an "active" volcano... a small rock of an Island not far off the coast. The distinctive white steam cloud is often seen.

It does "burp" from time to time but is (Mostly) Harmless. A tourist attraction in fact.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light