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Tongariro Volcano

Updated: Mar 28, 2024 20:05 GMT -
complex volcano 1978 m / 6,490 ft
North Island, New Zealand, -39.12°S / 175.65°E
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Last update: 10 Dec 2021

Tongariro volcano is a large complex volcano with about 12 craters and vents, including the steep stratovolcano Ngauruhoe, which is the focus of most activity in recent times.
Tongariro with its colorful crater lakes, hot springs, fumaroles, numerous cones and lava deserts is one of the major tourist attractions of the North Island, and the famous "Tongariro crossing" is generally regarded as one of the most scenic hikes in the world.

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Typical eruption style: explosive
Tongariro volcano eruptions: Eruptions outside Ngauruhoe, mainly on SSE flank (Red Crater): 6 Aug 2012, 1927 (?), 1926, 1896, 1890 (?), 1886, 1885±1, 1869, 1859, 1855, 1500 ± 50, 550 BC ± 200 years, 9350 BC (?), 9450 BC (?), 9650 BC (?), 9850 BC (?)
Eruptions from Ngauruhoe vent: 1975-77, 1972, 1968-69, 1962, 1958-59, 1956, 1948-54, 1939-40, 1937, 1934, 1931, 1924-28, 1917, 1913-14, 1909-10, 1904-07, 1897-98, 1892, 1883, 1881, 1878, 1875, 1869-70, 1862-64, 1857, 1844, 1841, 1839, 550 BC ± 200

Latest nearby earthquakes

TimeMag. / DepthDistance / Location
Mar 28, 10:42 pm (Auckland)
Mar 28, 09:42 GMT
2.6

102 km
25 km (16 mi) to the NE New Zealand Info
Sunday, March 24, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 24, 06:32 pm (Auckland)
Mar 24, 06:32 GMT
1.8

109 km
27 km (17 mi) to the SE New Zealand Info
Friday, March 22, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 23, 07:38 am (Auckland)
Mar 22, 18:38 GMT
1.7

87 km
13 km (8.3 mi) to the NW New Zealand Info
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 27, 11:30 am (Auckland)
Mar 26, 22:30 GMT
1.6

0 km
22 km (14 mi) to the S New Zealand Info
Sunday, March 24, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 25, 12:22 pm (Auckland)
Mar 24, 23:22 GMT
1.6

0 km
20 km (12 mi) to the SE New Zealand 1 reportInfo
Monday, March 18, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Mar 18, 01:25 pm (Auckland)
Mar 18, 00:25 GMT
1.6

58 km
17 km (10.3 mi) to the NE New Zealand Info

Background

Tongariro is a large andesitic volcanic massif, located immediately NE of Ruapehu volcano, that is composed of more than a dozen composite cones constructed over a period of 275,000 years.
Vents along a NE-trending zone extending from Saddle Cone (below Ruapehu volcano) to Te Mari crater (including vents at the present-day location of Ngauruhoe) were active during a several hundred year long period around 10,000 years ago, producing the largest known eruptions at the Tongariro complex during the Holocene. North Crater stratovolcano, one of the largest features of the massif, is truncated by a broad, shallow crater filled by a solidified lava lake that is cut on the NW side by a small explosion crater.
The youngest cone of the complex, Ngauruhoe, has grown to become the highest peak of the massif since its birth about 2500 years ago. The symmetrical, steep-sided Ngauruhoe, along with its neighbor Ruapehu to the south, have been New Zealand's most active volcanoes during historical time.

Tongariro Volcano Photos

Eruptions of Tongariro volcano



6 August 2012 eruption
A brief but violent phreatic eruption occurred at 23:50 local time on 6 August from new vents near the Te Mari crater of Tongariro.
The explosion followed several weeks of increased earthquakes under the volcano. It produced a 7 km tall ash plume and threw ballistic blocks of up to 1 m diameter to 1.5-2 km distance.

An interesting news article with eyewitness accounts and other information: First Tongariro eruption in over 100 years ...more info

Latest satellite images

Tongariro satellite image sat1Tongariro satellite image sat2
Sun, 23 Aug 2015, 11:05

Tongariro volcano (New Zealand): alert level lowered back to green

On 19 August GeoNet reported that activity at Tongariro's Te Maari Craters had declined significantly since the eruption in 2012, with data suggesting that unrest associated with the eruption was over. Read all
Wed, 19 Aug 2015, 06:00

Tongariro volcano (North Island, New Zealand) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 19 August-25 August 2015 (Continuing Activity)

On 19 August GeoNet reported that activity at Tongariro's Te Maari Craters had declined significantly since the eruption in 2012, with data suggesting that unrest associated with the eruption was over. The Volcanic Alert Level was lowered to 0 (on a scale of 0-5). The Volcanic Alert Level for Ngauruhoe is separate and had been lowered to 0 on 20 April. ... Read all

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