“NGAURUHOE COULD BE BUILDING UP”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29800, 17 April 1962, Page 16

“NGAURUHOE COULD BE BUILDING UP”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WANGANUI. April 16. Ngauruhoe could be building up for another big bang, according to tape recordings taken at the crater mouth. “All indications are that the volcano is gradually moving towards another eruption, but it’s very hard to say when,” Mr R. R Dibble, scientific officer of the D.S.I.R.’s Geophysics Division, said in Wellington this morning. Mr Dibble has been in

charge of the installation of seismometers in the crater, down the mountainside and at the Chateau, which record every rumble and movement in the area. “Just how many, years the volcano will go on building up before it erupts is open to question,” Mr Dibble said. “We’ve been taping many interesting things from the crater, but so far there’s been nothing spectacular.” Some weeks ago there had been recordings of strong steam escaping from the crater and at one stage there was an explosion, but these sounds had died down lately Mr Dibble climbed to the top of Ngauruhoe early this year, after reports that there was a new vent in the crater He found that there was a big chimney, big enough to drive a bus through, leading down into the crater, and smoke and gas were coming from this with a low roaring sound. The last big eruption from Ngauruhoe was in 1953-54, when one of the biggest-ever flows of lava came from the crater “From our recordings up there so far we are fairly confident that we’ll be able to recognise when the volcano is reaching a peak, tong before it could be observed otherwise,” Mr Dibble said “Just how long before it’s difficult to telL”

160 At Tonth Service.—A youth service held after the normal service st St. Chad’s Anglican Church in the Linwood-Aranui parish on Sunday evening was attended by 160 youths. During the service, five colours were received from the scout, guide and sea ranger groups in the parish. Some of the youths present took part in the service. Mr D. Downs, chairman of the pM-fsh coffee club, conducted the service.