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The volcanic alert level on Whakaari / White Island has been raised to two, and small amounts of volcanic ash have been detected in the plume of steam and gas.
Drama / White Island
Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen
GNS Science says volcanologists were able to conduct a gas monitoring and observation flight on Thursday, after a period of severe wet weather.
A darker column than usual had been seen from the mainland and observations during the flight confirmed the presence of ash.
Those fine particles originate from the main steam vent at the back of the crater lake.
GNS Science said initial analyzes of the ash particles suggested it was loose material from around the vent or underlying duct carried by the emission of steam and gas.
“While gas production observed on Thursday is higher than recent observations, other monitoring parameters show no significant changes,” said GNS Science.
During the past week, a small sequence of earthquakes has been located near the volcano and there have been several episodes of slightly increased volcanic heat.
GNS Science said none of the observations are unusual for Whakaari and it is unclear if they are just a coincidence with the incorporation of material in the column.
The island’s volcano erupted on December 9 of last year, killing 21 people the following day or weeks.
Two bodies have never been recovered from the island. Another 26 were injured, most with long roads to recover.
