New Zealand Volcano Database
Database
This is an inter-related database covering Aotearoa New Zealand's active and dormant volcanoes. This is a Nationally Significant Database managed by GNS Science.
Nationally Significant Databases are those datasets and collections registered as important for New Zealand, and as such, they are supported by long-term government funding.
The following datasets form the Nationally Significant New Zealand Volcano Database:
FITS: Field Time Series Database(external link)
- Lake and spring temperatures, Ruapehu Crater Lake water level, water chemistry, gas flux, levelling data and GNSS
The International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN) webservices(external link)
- Seismic and acoustic measurements
- Volcanic geology, FRED – 14C, active faults
Ruapehu Volcanic Unrest Update #3 - 10 June 2022 – GNS Science Senior Volcanologist Geoff Kilgour provides our third video update on the volcanic unrest at Ruapehu. He shares what volcanic activity has occurred over the past four weeks and what data the team are hoping to collect soon. Further information transcript
Since mid-March, Ruapehu has been at Volcanic Alert Level 2. Which indicates moderate to heightened unrest.
We were recording strong volcanic tremor, high levels of gas emissions, and we saw the crater lake temperature peak at 41 degrees. Since our last update four weeks ago, we've seen those tremor levels lower from the strong tremor that we were seeing previously.
In addition, Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe) temperature has come down now, to 28 degrees. So we currently consider the level of activity at Ruapehu to have decreased, consistent with moderate unrest, rather than the heightened unrest that we were seeing previously.
Gas emissions are one of the key things we study to determine how active a volcano is. So we're waiting for the weather to improve so we can undertake another gas measurement flight. That will help us get a much more complete picture of what the volcano is doing and we'll share that information with you as soon as we have it.
This unrest period has been going for three months, but we are now seeing a decline in some of the key indicators of activity at the volcano. However, there's still uncertainty around what could happen, And we continue to see elevated unrest at the volcano. Because of this, there's still a chance of an eruption at Ruapehu.
If one occurred, it would likely impact the crater basin and possibly generate volcanic mudflows, or lahars, down the Whangaehu River valley. The chance of more, or larger eruptions remains very unlikely at this stage.
Ruapehu's Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2, moderate to heightened unrest.
We continue to monitor the volcano for any changes in activity and we'll provide information through our Volcanic Activity Bulletins on our GeoNet website.
The Department of Conservation continue to maintain a 2km exclusion zone around the summit. But this could change, so visit the DOC Tongariro Facebook page or their website for updates on this zone.
Ruapehu is an active volcano, and could erupt at any time, with little or no warning.
NEMA's Get Ready website has information to help you be prepared for volcanic activity.
Ruapehu Volcanic Unrest Update #3 - 10 June 2022
GNS Science Senior Volcanologist Geoff Kilgour provides our third video update on the volcanic unrest at Ruapehu.
Cite as: GNS Science. (2016). New Zealand Volcano Database [Data set]. GNS Science. https://doi.org/10.21420/MWRY-R636
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The following datasets can be interrogated by sending a request to us
The following datasets can be interrogated by sending a request to us. Please make requests as specific as possible, including the volcano/region and the time period of interest as well as data format and/or instrument requirements.
- Gas analysis data
- RSAM / SSAM
- Magnetic surveys
- Eruption history
- Impacts
- Microgravity
- Aeromagnetics
- Thermal IR
- Tiltmeter data
- InSAR
- Volcanic ashfall forecasts
- Rock samples
- Ash samples
- Historical and bibliographic collections of newspaper articles, diary transcripts, reports, reprints and photographs
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Terms of Use
GeoNet content is copyright GNS Science and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand License.
Find more content related to:
GNS Science topics
- Nationally Significant
- GNS-led
- Bathymetry
- Earthquakes
- Geohazard event
- Geothermal
- Monitoring
- Volcanoes
- Seismic
- Faults
Locations
- Aotearoa / New Zealand
- Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
- Te Moana-a-Toi / Bay of Plenty
- Taranaki
- Central Plateau
- Manawatū-Whanganui