Mount Ruapehu

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Other hazards include the remobilisation of ash, volcanic tremors and avalanches. A future eruption would effect population, buildings, transport, water supply, livestock and crops. In the event of an eruption many of the surrounding villages (especially in the valleys) would have to be evacuated.
LOCATION:
Mt. Ruapehu is situated in North Island, New Zealand (Fig.1) within the Southern end of the Taupo volcanic zone, which stretches NE to White Island in the Bay of Plenty (Fig.2). Mt. Ruapehu is the largest volcano of New Zealand (about 2800m) and is situated within the Tongariro National Park.
INTRODUCTION:

Mt. Ruapehu is a composite andesite stratovolcano and is one of only 20-30 active volcanos world wide that are topped by a crater lake. The crater lake has an area of 0.16km2 and its depth exceeds 180m (Hackett and Houghton, 1989), its depth has varied from 70-300m in recent years. The water in the lake is highly acidic, up to 60 C warm and the colour and temperature ...

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moderately temperate climate with the average air temperature reaching 20 C in the summer and 10 C in the winter. More specifically, Mt. Ruapehu being 2800m above sea level is within the central mountain belt of North Island where average annual temperatures are much lower. Around Ruapehu the mean annual rainfall is estimated at 2000 mm in an average of 150 days of rain fall per year (Anderson, 1977). Average wind directions for North Island are NE in the summer and SW in the winter but these directions vary greatly throughout the year. Wind speeds in the Ruapehu region can reach up to 115 km/hour and high intensity rain storms characterise the region (Hackett and Houghton, 1989). ...

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