Continuous moderate gas and steam plume rising from White Island volcano, New Zealand
Image credit: GeoNet
Continuous moderate gas and steam plum emissions have been rising from White Island volcano since July 10, 2024. Although the Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2, eruptions can still occur with little or no warning.
- The Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2 (moderate to heightened unrest) and the Aviation Color Code remains Yellow.
The plume is being emitted from an enlarged vent on the crater floor, GeoNet said in a bulletin posted on July 16. Minor amounts of ash were observed intermittently in the vent, but this is not considered to constitute new eruptive activity.
Analysis of data collected during a gas flight on July 12 indicated decreased levels of magmatic gas compared to the previous observations on June 10.
“Although gas emission is lower it remains at moderate levels compared to what was observed before May,” GeoNet volcanologists said.
The crater lake has almost disappeared with only a few small puddles remaining while gas and steam are now exiting from an enlarged vent on the crater floor.
“We did not observe any eruptions, but a minor amount of ash was intermittently seen in the vent. This is likely caused by some erosion inside the vent due to the vigorous degassing… No ash was observed in the plume outside of the crater.”
GeoNet said these kinds of changes in the vent area and the plume have been seen many times in the past and represent normal processes at the volcano.
Although the Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2, eruptions can still occur with little or no warning. While Volcanic Alert Level 2 is mostly associated with volcanic unrest hazards (including discharge of steam and hot volcanic gases, earthquakes, landslides, and hydrothermal activity), the potential for eruption hazards remains.
A powerful explosive eruption on December 9, 2019, claimed the lives of 22 people (visitors and tourist guides) of nearly 50 who were on the volcano when the eruption took place, at 14:11 LT.
White Island, officially named Whakaari/White Island, is New Zealand’s most active volcano. It is located in the Bay of Plenty, approximately 50 km (31 miles) offshore of North Island, New Zealand.
The eruption removed the crater lake, formed new vents and generated landslides into the active crater area.
References:
1 Moderate emission of steam and volcanic gas, with minor ash at Whakaari/White Island. Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 2 and Aviation Colour Code remains Yellow – GeoNet – July 16, 2024
2 Geological summary – Whakaari/White Island – GVP – Accessed July 3, 2024
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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