alert bulletin: Feb 26 2008, 2:00 pm - White Island Volcano

Science Alert Bulletin WIZ-08/01 - Crater lake begins to reform; Alert Level remains at 1

The crater lake at White Island has begun to reform. The lake, which almost completely evaporated in late October 2007, started to refill in December and by mid-February had risen about 6 metres. This suggests that the crater lake which first formed in 2003, and had been getting smaller since early 2006, has finally started to fill again.

Accompanying the rise in lake level has been a drop in lake temperature from 63 °C to 53 °C, which reflects the lake’s greater volume. The lake colour has also changed from a turbid grey to a light green, reflecting less suspended sediment.

Fluctuations in the level of the lake at White Island, together with its temperature and sometimes colour, are common and reflect several factors including changes in the volcanic steam and gases entering the lake and variations in rainfall.

White Island’s crater lake occupies a crater that formed during eruptions in the 1970s – 1990s. The last eruption at White Island, in 2000, occurred from a vent that is now beneath the lake.

No other significant changes have been observed at the White Island and normal monitoring, including the lake level, is continuing unchanged.

The Alert Level for White Island remains at Alert Level 1; there is no significant change in volcanic activity on the island.

Steven Sherburn
Duty Volcanologist