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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 12:08:04 GMT 10
Mount Tongariro eruptsDozens evacuated from Tongariro trackThe Dominion Post | 1:47PM - Wednesday, 21 November 2012A webcam image of Mount Tongariro at 1.30pm. — Photo: GeoNet.MOUNT TONGARIRO has erupted this afternoon.
GNS Science confirmed the eruption, at the Te Maari crater, shortly after 1.30pm.
Two bus drivers from Nimon and Sons had reported back to their base that they could see a plume two kilometres high, a spokesman said.
Conservation Department area manager Jonathan Maxwell said 30 to 50 people were being evacuated from the Tongariro Crossing track. No injuries had been reported.
State highways in the area had been closed.
Lake Rotoaira resident Robyn Bennett said there was a big, black ash cloud over her house, which was about a kilometre from the eruption site.
"It's just blew her stack," she said.
She said the air smelled of sulphur.
"It's hard to breathe if you go outside, it's pushing out quite heavily."
Mrs Bennett said she did not hear the eruption.
"It was rather quiet."
She said it looked like a new vent had formed in front of a previous eruption crater.
Ann Lambert, owner of the Rainbow Motel at Tokaanu, near Turangi, said she had not been aware of any noise, unlike the previous time Tongariro erupted, when there had been a "huge loud noise".
"We weren't aware it had happened. We just looked up and saw it," she said.
"It's just a grey cloud at the moment ... It's not as imposing as the last time."
A northerly wind appeared to be blowing the plume away from Lake Taupo and towards the Desert Road.A webcam image of the Te Maari crater at 1.30pm. — Photo: GeoNet.Mount Tongariro, as seen from a webcam at 1pm, about 20 minutes before the eruption. — Photo: GeoNet.A webcam image of Mount Tongariro at 2pm. — Photo: GeoNet.A webcam image of the Te Maari crater at 2pm. — Photo: GeoNet.Wellington Airport spokesman Greg Thomas said no flights had been affected yet, however that could change and the situation was being monitored.
GNS Science has updated the alert on Tongariro to 2, meaning there is "minor eruptive activity". It had elevated the aviation colour code to red, however, saying "significant emission of ash" into the atmosphere was likely.
This is Mt Tongariro's second eruption this year. The volcano erupted on August 6th for the first time in more than 100 years.
That eruption widened and deepened the Te Maari crater, and reactivated vents which had been covered up in the 116 years since it last erupted in 1896.
Ruapehu has also been active recently but has not erupted. Pressure was building under the volcano and there was an increased likelihood of an eruption, GNS said last week.
The volcanoes are close to each other but scientists did not believe that the activity at both volcanoes was related.
However, they could not exclude the possibility, GNS vulcanologist Nico Fournier said earlier this week.
"We don't have evidence at the moment that the activity of the two volcanoes are related," Fournier said. "But we can't exclude it entirely."
GNS vulcanologists were researching if activity at the two volcanoes was connected and also were looking at the relationship between earthquakes and volcanic activity.
A series of earthquakes rattled the ground beneath Tongariro in the weeks leading up to the August eruption and another series of quakes have shaken the ground beneath Ruapehu in the past few weeks.• Mount Tongariro information at GeoNet______________________________________ HISTORY OF MOUNT TONGARIRO- 1869: A large eruption (accompanied by an earthquake) formed the upper Te Maari Crater during an explosive eruption. Mâori descriptions include a "bright red flame through the smoke that would burst and fall like snow".
- June 1886: An ash eruption occurred from the Upper Te Maari Crater.
- November 1892: Te Maari again belched forth an immense quantity of steam, mud and boulders; the ejected material rose 2,000—3,000 feet (600—900 metres) before rushing down the mountain side.
- January 1893: Gas emissions were reported, along with two explosions, the second of which ejected pumice.
- November 1896: Until October 1897: an eruption occurred from Upper Te Maari Crater, depositing ash in Napier.
- August 6th, 2012: The volcano erupts for the first time in more than 100 years. It was a gas-driven eruption and created new vents.
www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7979520/Mt-Tongariro-erupts
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Post by jody on Nov 21, 2012 13:49:35 GMT 10
Maybe something big could be brewing.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 14:04:22 GMT 10
Maybe something big could be brewing. Ruapehu has been rumbling over the past couple of weeks. The scientists are watching Ruapehu very closely. Today's Tongariro erruption happened without warning. There were about 120 school kids from two school groups within a kilometre of the crater when it blew. They were doing the Tongariro Crossing. However, the ash and debris from the eruption went in the opposite direction to where the kids were and they all safely walked out to the end of the track. Meanwhile, the ash cloud is starting to close airports. The following map uploaded to GeoNet a short time ago shows the current coverage of the ash cloud (it's getting bloody close to my place)....
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Post by jody on Nov 21, 2012 14:29:24 GMT 10
wow the cloud is quite big....hopefully it won't get as far south as you are. I'll bet the kids got a bit of a shock
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 15:33:31 GMT 10
They''ve just shown some amazing footage taken from a mobile phone on the television news in NZ. The footage was taken by one of the adults with one of the school parties on the mountain, a large group of Year 8 kids from a school in Napier. They were walking the Tongariro Crossing as part of a study of volcanos and had stopped less than a kilometre from the Te Maari crater and were receiving a talk from a DOC ranger when the crater suddenly blew right in front of them. The result was lots of screaming kids who no doubt got the biggest adrenalin rush of their lives so far. However, they continued the walk to the end of the track (only about an hour away) and will no doubt have a great story to tell for the rest of their lives.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 15:36:21 GMT 10
It has just emerged that an Australian film crew were filming some footage for a tourist promotion and were only 400-500 metres from the crater when it blew and they got the whole lot on film. That should be spectacular footage when it is eventually shown.
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Post by jody on Nov 21, 2012 16:29:05 GMT 10
I'll have to watch the news tonight.
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Post by jody on Nov 21, 2012 17:14:55 GMT 10
Pretty impressive! Watching it on the news now
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 17:32:46 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ).
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Post by jody on Nov 21, 2012 17:33:48 GMT 10
<sigh>
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 17:43:21 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ). No doubt one day Altair will grow a functioning brain.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 18:38:39 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 23:14:09 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ). No doubt one day Altair will grow a functioning brain. My hope for you Kiwi is one day you will grow any kind of brain , functioning or not.
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Post by slartibartfast on Nov 22, 2012 6:25:16 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ). Now there's a STUPID comment!
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Post by spindrift on Nov 22, 2012 7:11:54 GMT 10
Sleeping giant awakens...very lucky people who were very close at the time of eruption.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2012 11:12:04 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2012 10:19:08 GMT 10
Scientists keeping tabs on Ruapehu, White IslandBy STACEY KIRK - The Dominion Post | 2:28PM - Wednesday, 12 December 2012A compiled image showing the wide and close up views of White Island's active crater area and the dome. — Picture: GNS Science.A RARE "lava dome" has formed around the crater of New Zealand's most active volcano, as scientists raise the volcanic watch level on White Island.
A lava dome is when magma, which has lost much of its gas, bubbles out of the crater of a volcano.
It cools quickly and builds up from the bottom. GNS scientists likened it to "congealed toothpaste" found round the edge of the tube.
The Bay of Plenty volcano is New Zealand's most active and since a rating system has been in place, it has never rested at zero.
GNS today raised its alert level to two, indicating there had been minor eruptive activity.A close up view of White Island's dome. The dome is made of thick, relatively cool and congealed lava and has prominent spines. The dome is about 20 – 30 metres across. In the foreground is a small, cold lake. — Photo: GNS Science.White Island showing a wide view of the active crater area. The lava dome is at the base of the prominent steam plume on the right side. The larger steam plume on the left side comes from a hot lake. — Photo: GNS Science.Constant plumes of steam on the island generally made it difficult to see anything close to the crater, but GNS scientists said conditions on Monday allowed them to get a closer look.
Vulcanologist Brad Scott said he had "never seen anything like it" in his 30 years visiting the island.
"We were really lucky the steam was not too thick and got great views. The dome is probably 20-30 metres across and has spines sticking up."
It is thought the lava dome was a result of an ash eruption recorded on August 5th.RUAPEHU: Eruptions in 1988, 2006 and 2007 are believed to have occurred as a result of sudden failure of a seal beneath the crater lake.Scientists also today confirmed Ruapehu remains at a heightened level of unrest and that an eruption is "more likely than normal".
GNS Science head vulcanologist Gill Jolly said analysis was still showing higher than normal temperatures beneath the crater lake.
"We think this reflects a partially sealed zone a few hundred metres beneath the lake which might be causing a pressure build up behind it. That pressure would make an eruption more likely than normal."
It doesn't mean that an eruption is inevitable, Jolly said.
"If the sealed zone fails suddenly an eruption could occur, probably with little or no warning. If it fails more gradually then the pressure would probably be released more slowly and the likelihood of an eruption would revert to normal."
Eruptions in 1988, 2006 and 2007 are believed to have occurred as a result of sudden failure of a seal beneath the crater lake.
"We never have the whole story so there is always uncertainty in our assessment of what might happen at volcanoes."
"It's like detective work without all the clues. But when we see something that might increase the chance of an eruption we have to be more cautious," Jolly said.
Small earthquakes 3 to 5 kilometres beneath the crater lake in late October and early November had now stopped.
GeoNet said it was not clear if those earthquakes were related to the high temperatures estimated a few hundred metres beneath the lake.
The crater lake is quiet and its temperature has remained relatively low, 20-25 degrees Celsius, since March.www.stuff.co.nz/national/8069647/Scientists-keeping-tabs-on-Ruapehu-White-Island
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2012 10:25:42 GMT 10
Mount Tongariro likely to stay restlessBy MIKE WATSON - Fairfax NZ News | 5:00AM - Thursday, 13 December 2012Tongariro erupting on November 21st. — Photo: GNS Science.VOLCANIC UNREST on Mount Tongariro may last for several more months as the mountain enters an eruptive stage not seen for more than 100 years, GNS vulcanologists say.
The mountain, which erupted twice near Te Maari Craters in August and last month, has continued to discharge noticeable gas during the past week.
GNS vulcanologist Brad Scott said there was "a substantial possibility of further eruptions" during the next few months because of the recent unrest.
"Tongariro might quietly discharge steam most of the time, but occasionally have small eruptions with little or no warning," he said.
Dr Scott said there was a similar episode of activity in the 1890s.
GNS head vulcanologist Gill Jolly said it was difficult to accurately predict what would happen because scientists did not know a lot about the recent activity.
"... with active volcanoes nothing is black and white and our best assessments still have a lot of uncertainty."
Dr Jolly said there were no signs there would be bigger eruptions than had occurred in August.
There has been only minor seismic activity at Tongariro since November 21st.
Gas may continue to be smelt downwind and be a minor irritant.www.stuff.co.nz/science/8072416/Mt-Tongariro-likely-to-stay-restless
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Post by jody on Dec 14, 2012 10:30:56 GMT 10
So they will have to stop the crossing?
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Post by caskur on Dec 14, 2012 14:50:59 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ). It was both... plus Abbott and Gillard. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya.
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Post by caskur on Dec 14, 2012 14:54:29 GMT 10
I wonder if this will cause more earthquake activity?
The ash eats into paint on cars too.
It's quite a serious problem.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2012 14:59:34 GMT 10
No doubt KTJ will blame the Americans for this ( or the Jews ). It was both... plus Abbott and Gillard. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya. Didn't you see the vanload of Mossad agents laughing when it went off. I'm telling ya it's a Zionist plot to distract world attention away from the settlements in the West Bank and the 'world's biggest concentration camp' suffering in Gaza.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2013 10:11:54 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2013 10:15:51 GMT 10
(click on the images to read the latest gossip about White Island)
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