Eruptive Activity at White Island

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:05

Check out the M/S radar! it sure does show what looks to be ash plume.

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:10

No i think it maybe the storms that are making the light show with a second look.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:15

Hmmm interesting. It looks like that rain is rain and not ash as it doesnt match up to the dot of white island in the map. Also there is nothing on the drum indicating major eruption.

I suspect it's all a big coincidence there is lightning (which suprises me to hear about), rain as a funny plume looking shape right close to an active volcano

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:29

Geonet have confirmed its static from an ash plume

GeoNet (facebook):
Lots of reports of flashes of light above White Island, it's static from the ash causing lightening. This is a natural occurrence and can be quite spectacular.

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:32

I think the radar cant pick up the ash at lower levels but by the time it can it has drifted north a little before heading out east.

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Thu 09/08/2012 21:43

Ash falling in Papamoa
Posted at 8:35pm Thursday 09th Aug, 2012 | By Phillipa Yalden [email protected]
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The active volcano White Island is erupting off the coast of Tauranga causing ash to fall along parts of the coastline.

There are reports of ash falling in Papamoa today due to continuing eruptions at the volcano about 48km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty.

White Island crater lake taken at 2pm today. Photo: GNS Science.

The volcanic alert level on White Island was raised to level two after a small eruption in its crater on Sunday.

Scientists visited the island this morning and confirmed it is erupting.

Papamoa east resident Dave Congalton went to wash his car this afternoon when he noticed a fine layer of ash on the roof.

“At first I thought it was pollen but on closer inspection it was ash.

“It is only very fine, nothing like when Ruapehu erupted.”

GNS duty volcanologist Brad Scott says there was an ash cloud of about 300metres coming from the south-west corner of one of the craters on White Island when scientists visited today.

“There is a dark ash cloud coming from the very back of the crater near the shore of the lake rising to about 300m.”

Brad says there is an easterly wind so it is feasible that ash could be falling in parts of Papamoa.

He says it is not hazardous for people living in the area but may be a nuisance for people if it falls on cars.

There are also reports of lightening at the island with Whakatane Police recieving numerous calls on from Eastern Bay of Plenty residents seeing light coming from the island on Thursday evening

White Island’s last big eruption was in 2000 after a series of eruptive episodes that lasted from 1975 until 2001.

Brad says this eruption is likely to last at least a week, or potentially months.

The alert level remains at level two and the aviation code is orange meaning a heightened risk.

bmo · Unread post by **bmo** » Thu 09/08/2012 22:17

Geonet now saying that there appears to be a lightning storm between the coast and white island and that they'll have to look at the webcams tomorrow morning

Tornado Tim · Unread post by **Tornado Tim** » Thu 09/08/2012 22:31

Lincolnian wrote:Geonet now saying that there appears to be a lightning storm between the coast and white island and that they'll have to look at the webcams tomorrow morning

Thats weather related and not from the volcano from what I can see, BOP radar indicates a trough with rapidly developing convection and some storms developing along it around 8 PM.

tgsnoopy · Unread post by **tgsnoopy** » Thu 09/08/2012 23:02

Lincolnian wrote:Reports of light ash falling in Tauranga

None here.

Lots of Yellow pine pollen I presume, it doesn't smell like sulphur.

bmo · Unread post by **bmo** » Thu 09/08/2012 23:21

I thought the same thing, just pollen but Geonet said that it was possible some ash made it onshore. And some people in Papamoa and Tauranga said they had a thin layer on their car according to tvnz

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Fri 10/08/2012 06:55

People I know have said they have had both yellow pollen and grey ash on their cars up there last couple of days

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Sat 18/08/2012 20:23

Looks like the ongoing slight volcanic tremor intensified thismorning for a while and then died back down to standard levels.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Wed 29/08/2012 21:08

is it weather noise or is that drum filling in with more blue because of the volcanic tremor?

David · Unread post by **David** » Thu 30/08/2012 07:27

jamie.haultain wrote:is it weather noise or is that drum filling in with more blue because of the volcanic tremor?

Volcanic tremor. Perhaps it's getting ready for another puff...

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Fri 31/08/2012 12:24

Yes i think it is going by the RSAM plots.

David · Unread post by **David** » Wed 12/12/2012 15:48

Lava dome growth observed at White Island

http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpag ... Id=3801265

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Wed 12/12/2012 16:01

yea i saw that earlier. more interesting things. will have the end of the world skeptics getting all hyped up hahahahaha

Skywatcher · Unread post by **Skywatcher** » Mon 07/01/2013 16:03

The lava dome eruption has ended.

http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpag ... Id=3801324

David · Unread post by **David** » Fri 18/01/2013 22:50

Quite a big increase in the level of volcanic tremor over the last few days

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Sat 19/01/2013 21:41

yea i noticed that too. Interesting. I wonder if its some thing to come?

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Tue 22/01/2013 11:50

GNS showing some real concern the volcano is humming now with lots of hydro activity - great pics too

http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpag ... Id=3801373

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Tue 22/01/2013 12:57

kool that article wasnt there when i checked thismorning. The web cams thismorning were showing some huge columns of steam rising from the volcano.

Orion · Unread post by **Orion** » Tue 22/01/2013 16:34

Thanks for that link, Razor: fascinating video there, it's absolutely seething!

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Tue 22/01/2013 17:29

Oh I didn't see the video when I first read the article.

Awesome!

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Wed 23/01/2013 09:01

Is the intensity of the tremor still increasing with these red lines dotted throughout the last 24 hours?

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