Magma beneath Rangitoto still warm after 600 years

Felix Walton, RNZ:

Mila Adam said magma took a significantly long time to cool, but the results of this research were still surprising.

'What was new for us was we really thought 600 years was long enough,' she said. 'We don't see surface manifestations, there is all this beautiful forest on Rangitoto, but in reality, there is still hot water beneath it.'

Adam squashed any fears that the geothermal activity could signal an eruption.

'It's telling us Rangitoto is a bit more active than we thought,' she said. "Nothing to be worried about, definitely nothing that would be a precursor to an eruption, but it's less dormant than we thought.

'It's still quite alive in terms of a hydrothermal system and CO2 emissions.'

I'm certain every Aucklander has at one time or another looked out at Rangitoto and wondered just how dormant the volcano really is. So, to find out the answer to that question is 'not quite as much as we thought' is both thrilling and a little unsettling.

You can read the full scientific article at Volcanica.