‘Continuous minor eruption’ on Whakaari/White Island

GNS Science cameras recorded volcanic activity on Whakaari/White Island on Sunday morning. Photo / GNS Science

A “continuous minor eruption” is occurring at Whakaari/White Island, GNS reports.

The active volcano offshore of Whakatāne produced a continuous plume of volcanic ash to the west of the volcano overnight, GNS Science duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said in a statement on the GeoNet website on Sunday morning.

Volcanic ash emissions started around midnight and have continued through the morning.

Satellite data showed the plume contained a minor amount of volcanic ash.

The height of the ash plume reached 1-2km above sea level, with webcam images from Whakatāne and the new Te Kaha camera showing a steam plume that was about 2km high.

There was “a low probability” ash would affect the mainland.

On Friday, a minor eruption in the afternoon caused the Whakaari/White Island alert level to be set to Level 3 (minor eruption) and the Aviation Colour Code was raised to orange.

It remained set at those levels on Sunday.

Kilgour said since Friday afternoon’s minor eruption activity at Whakaari diminished, with little to no ash being transported beyond the island.

He said like Friday’s plume, today’s appeared to be “low in volcanic ash concentration” so was unlikely to reach the mainland. Weather forecasts indicate easterly winds will switch to westerlies later in the day.

A plume captured on Whakaari/White Island by GNS Science cameras from Te Kaha on Sunday morning. Photo / GNS Science

“Any ash produced during this current activity could therefore have impacted the southern part of the Coromandel Peninsula or, later in the day, impact the eastern Bay of Plenty and/or East Cape.”

Kilgour said Whakaari was experiencing a period of elevated unrest and short-lived steam and ash emissions could continue for some time.

GNS Science would continue to closely monitor volcanic activity at Whakaari with remote cameras and satellite imagery, he said.

“Without an on-island monitoring network, changes in activity could occur at short notice. We will provide updates when information becomes available.”

“Over the last 150 years or even more, our observations from the mainland is that it’s been very rare that volcanic ash has reached the mainland or impacted the mainland,” Kilgour told NZME.

He advised local residents to check for Whakaari/White Island updates on the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence & Emergency Management website.

The volcano offshore of Whakatāne was last at Level 3 following eruptions on May 24 and 25. It returned to Level 2 on May 29.