Possible Eruption Reported at New Zealand's Tongariro

By Erik Klemetti

The webicorder trace for Tongariro in New Zealand showing a potential explosion (near bottom) at the volcano. Image courtesy of GNS Science.

I just saw this come across Twitter but there are reports of ash fall near Tongariro in New Zealand (apparently upwards of 5 cm[!] on state highway 46, north of the volcano) along with an unconfirmed report of "red/orange glow" from the Te Mari Crater. The Desert Road near Tongariro has also now been closed, which suggests an eruption (or hydrothermal explosion) has occurred and rescue teams are headed up to hikers' huts to make sure no one is trapped near the volcano. GNS Science has raised the alert status to Level 2 after these reports. I'm trying to find some more information so we can confirm this, but the webicorders for Tongariro show what could be an explosion signal (see above). Sadly, there isn't much of a view in the webcam for the volcano.

Tongariro has been rumbling for the past few weeks, with a sharp increase in seismicity along with a higher proportion of volcanic gases measured at the crater. Interestingly, a news report came out last night saying that the seismicity at Tongariro had recently decreased in size and number.

I will update this post as I get more information – and you can leave what you find in the comments below.

UPDATE 8/6 10:15 AM EDT: The New Zealand Civil Defense is warning people stay indoors and keep doors/windows shut for the time being.

UPDATE 8/6 1:45 PM EDT: The Wellington VAAC has an ash warning for the Tongariro eruption – threat of ash mostly to east of the volcano to 6 km / 20,000 feet. The GNS Science Aviation alert level for Tongariro is now Red, with their ash fall model predicting most of the ash falling to ESE of the area, mostly in the millimeters of thickness (Note: until we have proof, I'm still skeptical of the 5 cm of ash reported). Hopefully we'll get some images once day breaks in New Zealand.