The alert level was raised for the first time on Tuesday at Taupo Volcano in New Zealand. This is the first time the volcano alert has been raised to level 1, although it is not the first volcanic nuisance in Taupo, said GeoNet, which provides geological hazard information for New Zealand.
“There Have Been 17 Episodes of Unrest over the Past 150 Years. Many of These Were More Severe,” Said A Statement From GeoNet
Nico Fournier of the GNS Science Volcanology team said none of these turned into eruptions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Fournier Said, the Last Eruption At Taupo Volcano occurred Around AD 232
“The probability of an explosion in Taupo remains very small,” he said. The ground is being deformed by minor volcanic disturbance.
GNS Science, through the GeoNet program, continuously monitors Taupo Volcano and other active volcanoes for signs of activity.
“While some earthquakes can be felt in the vicinity of Lake Taupo, the deformation is currently only detectable by our sensitive monitoring equipment,” Fournier said.
The sequence of earthquakes continues under the central part of Lake Taupo, he said, with about 700 small earthquakes, mainly located at depths of 4 to 13 km below the lake.
Fournier said, “We interpret the seismic activity as being caused by the movement of magma and hydrothermal fluids inside the volcano.
We also sampled the springs and gas vents around the lake for changes in the chemistry that cause earthquakes and may be related to the uplift of the land.”
He said Volcano Alert Level 1 is mostly associated with environmental hazards, but the potential for eruption hazards also exists.
