How was the Taupo Volcanic Zone created?
It began erupting about 300,000 years ago and the present day caldera was created by an eruption 27,000 years ago called the Oruanui Eruption. Between this and the ‘Taupo Eruption’ (1800 years ago) there were at least 26 much smaller eruptions which formed lava domes and spread pumice and ash over nearby areas.
How many volcanoes are in the Taupo Volcanic Zone?
The Taupo Volcanic Zone is extremely active on a world scale: it includes three frequently active cone volcanoes (Ruapehu, Tongariro/Ngauruhoe, Whakaari/White Island), and two of the most productive calderas in the world (Okataina and Taupo).
Is Taupo likely to erupt?
Many of the major rivers in the North Island still carry large amounts of this pumice when in flood. Most importantly, Taupo shows no signs of being finished—it is extremely likely to erupt again and the timing and scale of its next episode cannot be predicted.
What would happen if Taupo erupted today?
“If Taupo were to erupt, we would expect to see major ground deformation and thousands of earthquakes, not hundreds,” Jolly says. White Island’s 2000 eruption followed a long period of activity and is one of “a couple” of eruptions Jolly has seen. Even that eruption, though, was “effectively a burp”, she says.
What is the Taupo Volcanic Zone?
The Taupo Volcanic Zone The Taupo Volcanic Zone is named after Lake Taupo, the largest volcano in the zone. It extends some 350 kilometres from Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe at the southwestern tip, through Taupo, Rotorua and to Whakaari (or White Island).
What is the name of the oldest volcano in Taupō?
Mangakino Volcanic Center: The Mangakino Volcanic Center is the westernmost and oldest rhyolitic caldera volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone. The course of the Waikato River crosses this area, between the artificial Lake Ohakuri (
How did the Taupo caldera form?
The huge caldera (collapse crater) has been partly filled by New Zealand’s largest lake, Lake Taupo. The caldera is created by subsidence of the ground surface due to emptying of the magma chamber in huge eruptions.
Are there any active volcanoes in the TVZ?
Taupo and Okataina—calderas within the TVZ—are the most productive and frequently active rhyolite caldera volcanoes on Earth. While the TVZ has been active for 1.6 million years, present volcanism in the area was preceded by a massive caldera-forming eruption that was centred just north of Lake Taupo, at Whakamaru c. 350,000 years ago.