Whakaari / White Island: Alert level raised as ash, dark feathers first seen this year

Ash and dark plumes can be seen coming from Whakaari / White Island for the first time this year, showing an increased level of distress on the surface of the volcano.

As a result, GNS said in a statement today that it had raised the volcanic alert level to level 2 and the aviation color code to yellow.

Volcanic Alert Level 2 indicates that the main hazards are those expected during
agitation; steam discharge, volcanic gas, earthquakes, landslides, and hydrothermal activity.

While Volcanic Alert Level 2 is primarily associated with environmental hazards,
eruptions can still occur with little or no warning.

After a severe season of wet weather, scientists completed a gas monitoring and
observation flight over Whakaari / White Island yesterday, the statement said.

Occasional “deposits” had been observed on some of the island’s webcams, and a darker column than usual was also reported on occasion.

Monitoring during a flight confirmed the presence of some ash in the column, which came from the main steam vent at the back of the crater lake.

Initial analyzes of the ash particles suggest that it is loose material from around the underlying vent or duct carried by the emission of vapor and gas.

While gas production observed Thursday was higher than recent observations, other monitoring parameters did not show significant changes, GNS said in the statement.

The status is now raised to level 2 after observations of vent activity and monitoring data.

Observations of the flight show that there are no substantial changes in location and size.
active ventilations.

The rain formed a pool of water on the floor of the 1978/90 crater, reshaping a shallow lake.

During the past week, a small sequence of earthquakes was located near the volcano and there were several episodes of slightly increased volcanic tremor.

None of these were unusual for Whakaari / White Island and it was unclear if they were just a coincidence with the incorporation of material in the column, GNS said.

During good weather, moderate to large plumes of gas vapor will be seen rising over the island and disappearing with the wind.

Some particles can be carried a few kilometers downwind, but they are unlikely to reach the mainland.

In the statement, GNS said that if any explosion produced a significant ash cloud, the probability that the ash would affect the continent was still very low. The gas and vapor column can be felt on the continent as a weak acid rain.

Vent changes that result in minor ash emissions have not been seen in
Whakaari / White Island this year and show a higher level of surface distress.

There is currently no indication of a substantial change in the overall behavior of the
volcano.

The main plausible triggers for a sudden eruption with little or no warning remain the collapse of unstable material into an active vent and the possible ingress of groundwater into the shallow magma body.

Whakatāne Mayor Judy Turner said this was the first time she had heard about the riots and the change to the alert level, but said she was confident that if there was a concern for the public, she would have been notified.

Local resident David Marshall lived within sight of the volcano and said he has not seen any unusual activity at the volcano.