Ruapehu

National Geographic film crew near Eyjafjallajökull, April 18, 2010. UPDATE 1PM EDT 4/19/2010: I can almost categorically say that Hekla is NOT erupting, contrary to Twitter or the brief banner on MSNBC. See my comment below (#68). In what is sounding like a bit of a broken record, the eruption at Eyjafjallajökull is still going. However, we might be beginning to see some changes in the style of volcanism - even the first suggestion of lava flows at the new crater. As mentioned yesterday, since the eruption became subglacial, we've been seeing eruptions where water - in this case glacial…

Some brief notes before I dive headlong into the exciting world of faculty orientation! A small steam plume coming from Turrialba in Costa Rica. Photo taken in August 2007. There are some preliminary reports of the state of wildlife (and everything) around Kasatochi Island in the Aleutians from the US F&W and USGS team that headed to check out how the island has recovered since last year's eruption. The shoreline has been radically transformed by the ash and although some seabirds have made attempts to nest in the loose ash, it doesn't seem to have been very successful. However, not…

Time to vote for the next Volcano Profile. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions after answering the poll! What should be the next volcano for the "Volcano Profile" series?(surveys)

Now that we've had three Volcano Profiles: Rabaul, Hood and Vesuvius, now it is time to vote on the next volcano. Take your pick and leave comments! What volcano should be featured as the next "Volcano Profile"?(polling)

Things were relatively quiet, volcanically speaking, over the weekend and that reminded me, it is just about time to vote on the next in my Volcano Profile series. We've had two volcanoes featured so far: Rabaul in Papua New Guinea and Hood in Oregon. Take a look at the list below and vote for the next in the series! What would you like to see as the next "Volcano Profile"?(opinion polls)

I wouldn't normally use this blog for something like this, but google has failed me. When I was in New Zealand, I saw a video on the 1995-96 eruptions at Ruapehu titled Witness to Eruption made in, I believe, 1999. It had some excellent footage of the eruptions in the 1990s as well as the 1950s, along with some great examples of interactions between the populations/businesses near the volcano and the eruption (namely the ski areas). I assumed I could get back to the states and look up the video on google to buy a copy, but no luck! Does anyone have any knowledge about where I could find this…

Ruapehu is a noisy volcano, showing signs of eruptions on a yearly basis. It is also a potentially very hazardous volcano as it produces abundant lahars and has the capacity to generate a catastrophic lahar if the crater lake at the summit were to be breached by an eruption. This is why Ruapehu is one of the most closely watched volcanoes in the world, with all of its vitals being monitored on a daily basis. GNS Science in New Zealand is reporting that Ruapehu is headed into a new heating cycle, citing the increase in lake water temperature from 16 to 22C since August - and that seems like…

Well, I'll be taking one more break before summer ends here in California (yes, we run on the quarter system, so classes don't start until the end of September). This trip is decidedly non-volcanically related, but I will likely not be posting again until 9/16. As always, be sure to check the Volcanism Blog and the USGS/SI Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for your volcano fix.

I suppose this is more "unnews" than "news", but workers at Ruapehu in New Zealand report that seismicity has decreased, gas emissions have returned to background and the crater lake has cooled, indicating that the current eruptive cycle which started in September 2007 might be winding down. There was some concern earlier in the summer (well, northern hemisphere summer) that it was cranking up to erupt, but these fears seem to have abated. As always, though, Ruapehu remains on "elevated alert" for eruption.

Almost 9 months since its last eruption, Ruapehu is keeping New Zealanders guessing about its next move. Brad Scott of GNS Science (NZ) reports that the crater lake at Ruapehu is reading unusually warm temperatures and high gas emissions, well after geologists there would have expected after the last eruption. Their conclusion doesn't seem to point to an imminent eruption, but rather just "unrest" at the volcano. Ruapehu is a fairly unique situation, mitigation-wise, as the volcano is a popular tourist destination for its skiing, but is also a relatively active volcano. This means that…

I think we know who wins this battle. At Ruapehu (New Zealand), it isn't really the lava that is the problem, but the lahars produced by mixing snow, crater lake water and volcanic debris. However, that is not stopping people from wanting to ski on the volcano. Never ceases to amaze me how people assess the riskiness of activities.

Looks like we should expect an eruption at Ruapehu (New Zealand) any time now. Tremors are ongoing, along with increased volcanic gas emissions (specifically SO2 here) and warmer temperatures in Ruapehu's crater lake. All of these ingredients point to a higher probability of eruption. However, with all that begin said, the Alert Level at Ruapehu remains at 1 (out of 5).

Ruapehu, in New Zealand, is starting to show signs it may erupt in the near future. It is a fairly active volcano, last erupting in Septemeber of 2007, but it is also a rather hazardous volcano thanks to the crater lake at the top that could be breached. Combined with the development on the volcano, it is a potent mix. Now, why would you ever think to develop on an active volcano? Well, good question! There are ski areas on Ruapehu that are built on some of the lahar (volcanic mudflow) deposits on the side of the volcano and some of these lahars are not that old at all, so the likelihood…