Ruapehu

A small phreatic eruption on February 29, 1980, produces a column of ash and steam above Ruapehu's Crater Lake. A darker central plug is surrounded by a white ring produced by pyroclastic surges traveling across the lake surface. This view is from the NW, with Mitre Peak at the upper left. A series of small phreatic explosions had begun December 5, 1979, and lasted until April 15 of the following year.

Type/Process: Magma Meets Water
Volcanic Status: Historical
Image Number: 004-014
Photographer: Peter Otway (New Zealand Geological Survey)
Summit Elevation: 2797 meters
Latitude/Longitude: 39.28 S / 175.57 E
Timeframe: Last known eruption 1964 or later
Region: New Zealand to Fiji