Steam rises over Ruapehu as volcanic activity increases
Large plumes of steam have been building up steadily from Mt Ruapehu since yesterday morning.
The temperature of the Crater Lake has also increased from 38 degrees Celsius to 39C, however, the volcanic alert level remains at level 2 and the aviation colour code remains at yellow.
Freelance journalist Neesha Bremner, who lives 26km north of the mountain in the settlement of O¯ whango, said locals were certainly not panicking but were keeping a close eye on the mountain as it continued to release clouds of steam, and there was a noticeable smell of sulphur.
‘‘Some friends said this is what it did the last time the big eruption happened in 1995/96. There’s a lot of steam and the occasional smell of sulphur in the air, so there’s definitely something happening.’’
Bremner said the locals were all quite pragmatic about the situation, telling her it was okay, as long as it didn’t affect the ski season.
She said she had an emergency bag packed, had bottled extra water, and had stocked up on dog food.
GNS Science duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said the first sign of the plume occurred at 9.45am and it ascended slowly to around 1.5km
above the summit.
An observation flight early yesterday afternoon indicated that the central vent continues to be ‘‘actively upwelling’’, and the lake level was marginally higher.
Kilgour said analysis of the latest Crater Lake fluid samples were similar to past analyses and showed no clear indication that magma was interacting with the hydrothermal system beneath the lake.