Whakaari/White Island: Evidence of increased activity, ballistic blocks ejected from vent

• Fresh explosive activity at Whakaari/White Island has ejected ‘ballistic blocks’ over 600m from the vent.
• Temperature at the active vent rose to 360C, with the volcanic alert level remaining at 2.
• Residents may notice ash or sulphur odours during northerly winds, but the coast remains unaffected.

Fresh explosive activity has been recorded at Whakaari/White Island with evidence of “ballistic blocks” ejected more than half a kilometre from the active vent.

GNS Science duty volcanologist Brad Scott said the island continued to emit steam and gas plumes with volcanic ash and there was evidence of more explosive activity on the crater floor recently.

“Over the past couple of weeks, our webcams at Whakatāne and Te Kaha have continued to record steam and gas plumes with a minor but variable presence of volcanic ash,” Scott said.

“On occasions our colleagues at MetService have also detected small amounts of volcanic ash in the plume on satellite imagery.

Image of Whakaari/White Island taken from a recent timelapse video. Image / Damian Rahmann Photography

“From the coast, this can sometimes be seen as a hazy plume trailing downwind from the volcano.”

Scott said an observation flight on Friday noted the active vent on the island had enlarged slightly.

“We also observed impact craters suggesting that some occasional, more explosive activity has recently occurred, ejecting ballistic blocks up to about 600m from the active vent on the crater floor.

“The exact timing and number of these more explosive events is unknown, but this type of activity is not uncommon for Whakaari as active vents grow.”

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Scott said the impact of these events remained confined to the main crater floor.

Temperature measurements of the active vent had risen from 220C in January to 360C on Friday, but remained well below the 580C recorded in August.

During northerly winds, residents on the Bay of Plenty coast might notice the ash from the plume or sulphur odours, Scott said.

In the short term, further explosive events may affect the crater floor and immediate vicinity of the island, but the coast remained unaffected.

The volcanic alert level remained at 2 and aviation colour code at orange.

Whakaari is an active volcano 48km off the Whakatāne coast. An eruption in 2019 killed 22 people.

Further information about the volcanic alert levels and what they mean can be found here.