Report on Rotorua (New Zealand) — 28 March-3 April 2001
Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
28 March-3 April 2001
Managing Editor: Gari Mayberry
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2001. Report on Rotorua (New Zealand). In: Mayberry, G (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 28 March-3 April 2001. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Rotorua
New Zealand
38.08°S, 176.27°E; summit elev. 757 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
The IGNS reported that on 27 March a very small eruption of mud and water occurred from a vent in Kuirau Park, Rotorua. The park was the site of a large eruption in late January 2001.
Geological Summary. The 22-km-wide Rotorua caldera is the NW-most caldera of the Taupo volcanic zone. It is the only single-event caldera in the Taupo Volcanic Zone and was formed about 220,000 years ago following eruption of the more than 340 km3 rhyolitic Mamaku Ignimbrite. Although caldera collapse occurred in a single event, the process was complex and involved multiple collapse blocks. The major city of Rotorua lies at the south end of the lake that fills much of the caldera. Post-collapse eruptive activity, which ceased during the Pleistocene, was restricted to lava dome extrusion without major explosive activity. The youngest activity consisted of the eruption of three lava domes less than 25,000 years ago. The major thermal areas of Takeke, Tikitere, Lake Rotokawa, and Rotorua-Whakarewarewa are located within the caldera or outside its rim, and the city of Rotorua lies within and adjacent to active geothermal fields.
Source: GeoNet