MT. RUAPEHU ACTIVE

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1945, Page 4

MT. RUAPEHU ACTIVE

Vast Steam Cloud

COMMENTS OF AN AUTHORITY P.A. WELLINGTON, March 20 Changes are at present being observed in the crater of Mount Ruapehu. The changes are just a' renewal of activty oy the volcano and that they probably will not increase is the opinion of' Professor C. A. Cotton, Professor of Geology, Victoria University College, an acknowledged authority in New Zealand on pnysiography and geomorphology. He said he did not know of any serious eruption of Mt. Ruapehu within the memory of man. Professor Cotton was in a Public Works Department plane which flew round the crater to-day, shortly after 10 a.m. He said the conditions were very clear for observation, and very interesting. Previously the mountain had been clouded. " Coming in the leeward side, the plane swept down to within 150 feet of the crater lake. Steam was coming out of the lake. It did not come from' the crater itself, which was not boiling. It came from an island, about ion© square chain in extent, and si * to eight feet high in the lake. This islet, said Professor Cotton, might be a solid rock of Lava with cracks in it, or it might be a heap of boulders. It was a stony chimney for a terrific volume of steam, which- was issuing forth. It was reported, on Monday, that a glow could be seen in the cracks on the island but nothing of this was observed to-day by Professor Cotton. Pie said that if the island had been red hot. it had cooled off. Stretching for 100 miles, a long flat steam cloud extended right across to the east coast and the- sea. A slightly sulphurous smell could be detected. cr.;-.;

Professor Cotton said the lake of Mount Ruapehu had boiled before, and volcanic steam has been as closely observed previously when it was steaming vigorously.