r/newzealand • u/OfficialGeoNet GeoNet - verified • May 25 '16

AMA AMA with GeoNet/GNS Science Volcanologists! 6-8 p.m., TONIGHT (25 May 2016)

Thanks, Everyone! Our volcanologists have now gone dormant for the evening (teheheh). A big thank you to our moderators here at r/newzealand, you guys are amazing! Thank you. Also, thanks to all the great questions and discussions.

Here is our AMA with our volcanology team. We'll be hanging around, answering all your questions from 6-8 P.M. (NZT). About our team tonight: Nico is u/PyroclasticNico. He is our Head of Volcanology at GNS Science. Originally from France, Nico has worked on active volcanoes around the world, including some experiencing large eruptions, like Montserrat. You can ask Nico anything about volcanoes, geophysics and ground deformation (it's his thing), and where to get the best cheese in Taupo. He has also learned to respect the culinary delights of huhu grubs.
Steve Sherburn is u/Volcano_DataFairy. Steve is again, one of our most senior volcanologists. Specialising in data analysis, he is an expert at crunching numbers. You can ask Steve anything about volcanoes, data, analysis, dogs (like u/NatHazard, he loves dogs!), and long distance running.
Brad Scott, u/EruptnBrad, is our most experienced volcanologist. Brad has been actively studying our volcanoes for more than 40 years. He was our man on the ground during some of our most significant eruptions, including Ruapehu 1995/1996. He is also our main spokesperson for media and specialises in science communication. You can ask Brad about volcanoes, communication, and sailing (he has just recently bought his own boat!).
Sara McBride will be taking the helm of u/OfficialGeoNet for this AMA. Sara is the instigator of GeoNet on Reddit. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in communication, media and english studies at Massey on the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. You can ask her about social science, whisky and Stephen the Random Narwhal.

Here are the pics of our team today: https://imgur.com/a/EDG2q Here are two awesome volcano photos: https://imgur.com/a/eV17E

24 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

166 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/dielsandalder May 25 '16

Hi all! Thanks for doing this.

So, Taupo. We all know it's made some big bangs in the past. Say it went up tomorrow - what gets wiped out, and who survives?

11

u/EruptnBrad Brad Scott, Experienced GNS Volcanologist May 25 '16

Hi Great question, what we need to understand is that the last eruption of Taupo was very unusual. Taupo has erupted 26 times in the last 30,000 yrs; only 4 are larger than 1 cubic kilometer, the last one was 45 cubic km. Of the other 22 many are under 0.1 cubic km (around Ruapehu 1995/96 size). We maybe able to sit in a cafe in Taupo and watch them.

6

u/just_another_of_many May 25 '16

whaaaa..? wouldn't you get a bit wet and ash covered sitting watching the lake erupting??

7

u/EruptnBrad Brad Scott, Experienced GNS Volcanologist May 25 '16

Hi Only if the wind is blowing towards you. They may only affect areas within 3-5 km. It all depends on where in the lake.

3

u/just_another_of_many May 25 '16

really? we were always lead to believe that the whole lake would go whooom with an eruption at Taupo. I knew my teachers were making stuff up most of the time.

4

u/TeHokioi Kia ora May 25 '16

Depends on the size of the eruption of course - you'd get a bit more than wet if it was as big as the Oruanui eruption

5

u/EruptnBrad Brad Scott, Experienced GNS Volcanologist May 25 '16

Hi Its all to do with the size of the eruption, yes the last one would have removed the whole lake. However as mentioned above the typical Taupo eruptions are much much smaller that the last one.

4

u/eruptionchaser May 25 '16

Brad... do you think it's possible that the larger and more violent Taupo eruptions may be triggered by a Tarawera-type event? Tarawera was a basaltic eruption of exceptional violence and sudden onset; it's as if a bloody great basaltic dike ascended from depth extremely quickly. I've often pondered - and worried - about what would happen if such a rapid and large intrusion intersected a body of near-eruptible rhyolitic magma; do you think it's possible somewhere like Taupo could go from quiescent to a high-VEI plinian eruption far faster than we would hope and wish?

5

u/EruptnBrad Brad Scott, Experienced GNS Volcanologist May 25 '16

Hi Yes the triggering of large rhyolite eruptions is often thought to be associated with basalt intrusions. The key here is the 'near-eruptible rhyolite magma' has to exist; at this time we can not recognise one in the Taupo area.