Plumes of gas and steam are rising above Whakaari/White Island, visible from the Bay of Plenty coastline.
A GeoNet camera on the island has also picked up a glow at hot steam and gas vents.
The steam and gas plumes originated from active vents on the island and were clustered in and around the craters formed in December 2019, GNS Science volcano specialist Brad Scott said.
Screengrab/GNS Science/Youtube
Plumes of gas and steam are rising above Whakaari/White Island.
The volcano erupted on the afternoon of December 9, 2019 when 47 people were on the island. Twenty-two of them died, and almost all survivors had severe or critical injuries.
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Scott said several factors contributed to the appearance of the steam and gas plumes. Those included heat flow, gas output, and the presence of ground water, lakelets or crater lakes. Humidity, air temperature and windspeed could also play a role.
Line all of these up like we did over the last couple of weeks and you can have large spectacular steam and gas plumes over the volcano, Scott said.
The night glow photographed by a GeoNet camera on the island.
The gas was leaking from rising geothermal fluids and molten rock (magma). Steam-water vapour was the most common constituent in volcanic gas.
After steam, in order of abundance the gases were carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). GeoNet measured the amount of gases present during regular flights, Scott said.
Looking in the same direction as the above picture, during the daytime.
The glow being picked up at night since late June on GeoNets Crater Rim camera was from hot steam and gas vents.
This usually requires moderate-strong and hot emissions from the vents on the volcano for this to occur, Scott said. Observations from a flight on July 15 confirmed temperatures of 500-600 degrees Celsius are now present.
The glow was only visible in the near infra-red and unlikely to be visible to the naked eye.
