WHITE ISLAND ACTIVITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19254, 17 February 1926, Page 13

WHITE ISLAND ACTIVITY

NEW " BLOWHOLE " CREATED 1 . VIOLENT ERUPTION OF MUD. STEAM RISES TO GREAT HEIGHTS. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] TAURANGA, Tuesday. There has been unusual activity in the thermal area of the crater on, White Island during the last fortnight. It has culminated in the formation of a new blowhole from which an enormous volume of steam issues.. After the 1914 eruption the crater bed very quickly assumed more or less permanent features, the most impressive and active , being the. main, steam vent or blowhole in the centre of the crater floor, well removed from the possibility of interference from any landslide which may take place after the fashion of- the 1914 slide. This blowhole, except for a series of minor fumaroles and lesser activities, has been the "safety valve" for the island. Some of the lesser fumaroles have been blocked by minor slides from the crater walls, but this has only tended to increase the force of the main blowhole. ,»■' Clouds of Steam 10,000 Feet High. Two weeks ago the blowhole commenced ejecting unusual volumes of superheated sulphur-impregnated fumes, carrying with them dense clouds of red oxide dust, giving flame-like effects. Increased pressure in the force was most marked. On calm days the cloud of ejected steam reached measured heights varying from eight to ten thousand feet. Finally, on the night of February 3, a fault apparently developed at the base of a 200 ft. cliff on the western side of the main blowhole, and some hundreds of yards of the cliff collapsed. As this slide happened, the pressure of gas and steam underneath blew forlh a mass of sulphurous mud covering for a depth of three inches an area of ten acres and, through the disturbed earth, as it piled up at the base of the cliff, created a vent for itself. The actuail outlet from the vent is 50ft. up the cliff face from the crater floor. ror 48 hours after this .'eruption, the air of the entire active area of the crater, surrounded by its towering 1000 ft. walls, was a dense, mass of dust-impreg-nated steam. This' made inspection of the new activity impossible. Accompanied by the resident,engineer the writer was subsequedtly able to make a hurried examination, of the disturbance. The main blowhole, ejecting overpowering fumes in the direction pf the new vent, had to bo passed. Constantly, as the.Wind would suddenly fan the fume clouds about us, we had to cover our faces with handkerchiefs to relieve the choking effects of the fumes. Appearance of New Outlet. Between the blowhole and the new vent, the crater bed is saucer-shaped and covered with massive volcanic boulders. It is entirely smothered with the 3-inch deposit of greyish volcanic mud ejected by the new activity. From boulder to boulder, and avoiding the fumes from the main blowhole, progress toward the new vent was slow and ticklish'. From a position 150 yds. from the vent it: was obvious that the tremendous volume of supe>r-hea;ted gases had been belched forth from under the base of the cliff, crest-

ing a minor landslide and an outlet for its fosce. Its activity is very similar to that' of the main blowhole. Sulphur-inn. pregnated fumes constantly roar out,' but owing to the intense heat, the. steam is not apparent until it has reached a height of 50 or 60ft. The volume of steam issues up the 1000 ft. crater walls and is then caught by the wind and blown cloud-like away from the .island. There is not.the same, nqi.se as with the main bbwhole. The new eruption has lessened the force and the noise of the main vent and obviously .has rendered the crater, even, safer than previously. , Even should ' a landslide block the new vent, it is highly probable that the pent-ftp force would be simply diverted to the main blowhole; ' The formation of the new vent's cone, is not yet permanent. a minor landslide above the vent will bo blown into- the air: by the tremeiidous force and the dust thus formed is scattered broadcast over the-crater floor. These minor disturbances will most probably continue until the cliff face above the vent assumes a harmless batter and thus : leaves the vent to continue its activity undisturbed. • With'- this , new activity arid the old .blowhale, the White Island crater now possesses , the two greatest thermal activities of their kind known to the world. '