Tongariro Volcano

Updated: May 28, 2025 22:11 GMT - refresh

complex volcano

North Island, New Zealand, -39.12°S / 175.65°E

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Summit height: 1978 m / 6,490 ft

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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Tongariro webcams / live data | News/Updates | Earthquakes | Images

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

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
May 28, 07:21 am (GMT +12)	1.6 7.9 km	28 km (17 mi) to the SW	New Zealand	Info
Monday, May 26, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
May 26, 09:29 pm (Universal Time)	1.0 5 km	23 km (14 mi) to the E	New Zealand	Info
May 26, 08:27 pm (Universal Time)	0.6 14 km	25 km (16 mi) to the SW	New Zealand	Info
Sunday, May 25, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
May 25, 05:42 pm (Universal Time)	1.3 3.9 km	24 km (15 mi) to the E	New Zealand	Info
Saturday, May 24, 2025 GMT (3 quakes)
May 25, 06:31 am (GMT +12)	1.2 77 km	14 km (8.9 mi) to the SW	New Zealand	Info
May 24, 06:08 am (Universal Time)	0.7 23 km	26 km (16 mi) to the SW	New Zealand	Info
May 24, 04:18 pm (GMT +12)	0.7 7.6 km	25 km (16 mi) to the NE	New Zealand	Info
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
May 21, 02:19 am (GMT +12)	2.2 96 km	29 km (18 mi) to the NW	New Zealand	Info
Friday, May 16, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
May 16, 05:27 pm (Universal Time)	1.3 19 km	29 km (18 mi) to the SW	New Zealand	Info

View recent quakes

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

Layers of oxidized scoria at Tongariro volcano's Red Crater (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

Red scoria layers at the Red Crater of Tongariro volcano (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Tongariro volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Tongariro has had at least 76 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 70 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.
Additionally, there are 3 uncertain or discredited eruptions from Tongariro volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Tongariro volcano since around 1900. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Tongariro can be found on the news page of Tongariro volcano.

Date	Note	VEI
2012 Nov 21	Upper Te Maari Craters Historical obs./docs.	2
2012 Aug 6 - Aug 7	Upper Te Maari Craters Historical obs./docs.	2
1977 Jul 4	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	1
1976 Aug 23 - Aug 28	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	1
1975 Feb 12 - Feb 23	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	3
1972 Nov 22 - 1974 Aug 19	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	3
1972 Mar 19 - Jun 6	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1969 Jan 21	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1968 Aug 18	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1962 May 24	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1959 Jun 1	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1958 Nov 5 - Nov 18 ?	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1956 Jan 11 - Feb 11	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	2
1954 May 13 - 1955 Jun 25	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	3
1953 Dec 28 or before	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	?
1952 Nov 29 - 1953 Jul 16 ±15 d.	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	2
1951 May 16 ±15 d.	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1950 Jun 16	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1949 Feb 9 - Mar 3	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	2
1948 Sep	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1948 Apr 30 - May	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1940 Sep - Oct	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1939 Aug	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1937 Jan	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1934 Dec - 1935 Feb	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1934 Jun	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1931 Feb - May	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1928 Jul	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1928 Mar 3	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1926 Dec 21 - Dec 30 ?	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1927	Uncertain Eruption	1?
1926 Apr 16 - Jun	Ngauruhoe and Red Crater Historical obs./docs.	2
1925 Nov - Dec	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1924 Oct - Nov	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1924 May 22	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1924 Jan 9 - Jan 30	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1917 Oct - Nov	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1914 Sep - Oct	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1913 May	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1913 Jan	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1910 Oct - 1911 Jan	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1910 Jan	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1909 Mar - Jul	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1907 Nov	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1907 Feb - May	Ngauruhoe (south sub-crater) Historical obs./docs.	2
1906 Mar	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1905	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2
1904 Nov 22	Ngauruhoe Historical obs./docs.	2

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

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

Tongariro Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Tongariro volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Tongariro occurred in 2012.

+How often does Tongariro volcano erupt?

Since 1839, Tongariro volcano has had at least 70 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 2.7 years.

+How active is Tongariro volcano at present?

Tongariro volcano is very active: Since 1900, it has had 41 eruptions, and been active during 41 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Tongariro has been in eruption one in 3.1 years on average. The last eruption was in 2012 and ended 13 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Tongariro volcano?

The largest eruption known from the younger geological history of Tongariro volcano occurred around 550 BC. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Tongariro Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).