Jan 14 2002, 3:00 pm - Ruapehu Volcano

On Friday and Saturday afternoon’s steam plumes were observed above Ruapehu volcano. These are believed to be associated with hydrothermal activity in the Crater Lake.

In the past it has been typical for small scale hydrothermal events to occur in the lake when the temperature is around 35-40°C. Steam eruptions through the lake tend to heat the lake water.

The sequence of events over the weekend are typical behaviour for Ruapehu.

The last visit to the Crater Lake was on January 8. The lake was a battleship grey colour and there was upwelling in the lake. There was no evidence of any eruptive activity at that time. The lake temperature was 38°C.

GNS volcanologists will continue to monitor Ruapehu and further updates will be issued as necessary.

Ruapehu remains at Alert Level 1.

Ken Gledhill
Duty Volcanologist