Next Major Taupo Eruption Due - 800 Years Ago?!

"Taupo volcano would dwarf Iceland eruption"
ONE News, via tvnz.co.nz (July 12, 2010)

"Beneath the waters of Lake Taupo lies one of the world's biggest volcanoes and scientists say an eruption would be one of the most life threatening events New Zealand has ever faced.

"They say an eruption involving New Zealand's largest lake would dwarf the trouble caused by the 1995 Ruapehu eruption and lahar flows since then.

" 'Taupo on a global scale is a very large volcano. The crater is somewhere in the order of 15 and 20 kilometres in diameter, so it's right up there in the top ten globally for size,' said volcanologist Brad Scott...."

Happily, volcanoes tend to raise a fuss before major eruptions. These days, in many countries, folks in decision-making positions have learned what it could mean, when there's a whacking great volcano nearby that's taken to muttering to itself.

The article says that folks in the Taupo area shouldn't wait for instructions to move. New Zealand Civil defense's Phil Parker said that, since the country isn't all that prepared to deal with an eruption - " 'People may need to self evacuate because we don't have the personnel to evacuate everybody. We rely heavily on people doing it themselves,' " which I think would make sense, anyway.

Think about it: You're near a volcano. The ground's shaking. You know it's due to erupt any time. Would you wait until some official made an announcement that it's time to go?

How long folks who live, work, and play near Taupo have until the next big eruption? Here's how the article ends:

"...Taupo erupts every 900 years on average, and the last big bang was 1700 years ago. Scientists say it's not a matter of if, but when."

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• "Mound Redoubt Oil Storage Tanks Drained: Good Idea"
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