Taupo Volcano: New Zealand on High Alert Following Volcanic Earthquake

Taupo Volcano showed signs of rumbling following a volcanic earthquake on Sunday, March 6, prompting seismic authorities to put New Zealand on alert amid the unrest at the supervolcano.

There were no reported volcanic eruptions or related explosions in the short-term period.

There was also no reported exclusion zone imposed in the vicinity of Lake Taupo, the caldera of the rhyolitic supervolcano it covers.

The Southern Hemisphere's Taupo is often compared with the Northern Hemisphere's Yellowstone Supervolcano or the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming, United States.

These massive volcanoes have been considered by experts of being capable of causing widespread havoc should a major eruption occurs, with the recent being the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in January 2022.

New Zealand Volcano Alert

This is not the first time such tremor was recorded in the massive caldera system.

In fact, it was in 2022 when scientists first observed the increased seismic activities in the area around the Taupo Volcano.

The increased volcanic activity also comes six months after GeoNet, an earthquake and volcano monitoring website, raised its volcano alert level from 0 to 1 for the first time in the program's 20-year existence, The New Zealand Herald reported.

As of early 2023, scientists who have been monitoring the New Zealand supervolcano recorded over 1,600 quakes; some of the notable earthquake magnitudes in this figure include the 4.2 quake in September 2022 and 5.7 magnitude in November 2022, which triggered a small lake tsunami, according to the New Zealand newspaper.

Sunday's tremor at 4:13 p.m. local time stands at 4.4 magnitude with an epicenter in the same area, particularly near Horomatangi Reef, southwest of Taupo, where underneath brews a 250-cubic kilometer magma chamber, as pointed out by researchers, the NZ Herald adds.

Taupo Volcano Unrest

In its bulletin as of 10:30 a.m. local time on Monday, March 8, GeoNet confirmed the minor unrest at Taupo volcano and retains the volcanic alert at level 1.

The website reported that the 4.4 magnitude earthquake occurred within 10 kilometers of the surface and shaking was recorded along the Taupo lake shore.

Following the volcanic earthquake, more than 20 aftershocks have occurred.

In spite of the eruption, authorities are confident that there will be no major eruption anytime soon.

What is a Super Volcano?

The term "supervolcano" pertains to a volcanic center that is capable of an eruption of up to magnitude 8 under the Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI).

This means that there has been at least one point in the past where such volcano erupted over 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of volcanic material, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Similar to an earthquake magnitude, wherein its strength is based on the Richter scale, the intensity of volcanic eruptions is measured through the VEI.

Although both are separate seismic phenomenon, they are related in a sense that earthquakes called "volcanic earthquakes" can also occur in relation to volcanic activities.