When was mount ruapehu formed

To prevent a similar event happening again, the crater and its lake are regularly monitored with the aim of warning people in the potential path of a lahar. The Whakapapa ski area is also at risk and sirens warn skiers. Find out more about the crater lake's current status.

Find out more about managing Lifelines to deal with unexpected emergency or natural hazard events. These alert levels give an indication of how active a volcano is, on a scale of Ruapehu is currently active at Alert Level 1.

Check out the latest volcano bulletins from GNS. Waikato Regional Council is involved in discussions and planning for an alarm system to reduce the risk from a lahar. See our map for more information about lahar zones in the Waikato region. For policy information on natural hazards, see our Regional Policy Statement.

A towering, active stratovolcano the classic cone-shaped volcano , snow-capped Ruapehu Volcano is pictured in this enhanced-color image. The image is made from topography data collected by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, , and imagery collected by the Landsat satellite on October 23, Among the most serious threats is a volcanic mudflow called a lahar.

In this scene, the lake is nestled among the ridges at the top of the volcano. Eventually, the dam gives way and a massive flow of mud and debris churns down the mountain toward farmland and towns below. Scientists estimate that Ruapehu has experienced 60 lahars in the last years. A devastating lahar in killed more than people, who died when a passenger train plunged into a ravine when a railroad bridge was taken out by the lahar.

The flank of the volcano below the lake is deeply carved by the path of previous lahars; the gouge can be seen just left of image center. The andesitic stratovolcano has an age of around , years and contains a large summit crater containing a lake. Eruptions from the vent inside the lake often cause the lake to drain and form dangerous lahars.

Last update: 28 Sep Crater Lake's fluctuating temperatures continue, currently cooling. Ruhapehu volcano. Show interactive Map. Last earthquakes nearby. View recent quakes. Latest satellite images.

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