All (mostly) quiet on the volcanic front

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, 20 September 1994, Page 5

All (mostly) quiet on the volcanic front

Earthwatch As in July, August was a quiet month for the region ' s seismographs. The only reports of earthquakes felt have come from the Atiamuri area, south of Rotorua. The earthquakes were small, ranging from M 3 . 5 to less than t wo on the Richter scale. The recorded seismic activity has been concentrated in the northern Bay of Plenty, around Mount Tarawera and between Kawerau and the coast. The ARGOS satellite temperature recording equipment at Mt Ruapehu was excavated from under the winter snow and returned to operational status. Crater Lake continues to cool and is now approximately 17 degrees celsius. The output of volcanic tremor has started to increase, so maybe the lake will soon start heating again. Following the small eruption at White Island at the end of June, no further eruptions have occurred. Scientists visited the island to repair the magnetometer hut, charge the batteries in the seismograph, examine the June eruption deposit and make a ground deformation survey. The deformation survey confirmed the crater floor is still rising. A short visit was made to Raoul Island, an active volcano in the Kermadec Is-

lands. In March 1993 an increase in seismic activity and lake levels suggested an eruption might occur — however none did! The above is a summary of geothermal, volcanic and earthquake activity in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. This monthly report is based on

studies by staff at the Wairakei Research Centre, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, observations by tour operators, Department of Conservation and the general public - it covers from early August to early September 1994.