When will lake taupo erupt?

Answer 1

About ad 170, but a bigger one about ad 150. This one is recorded in Chinese and Roman records with coloured skies. The biggest eruption of Taupo was some 26 500 years ago, and erupted more than 500 cubic kilometres of material.

Answer 2

The present Lake Taupo fills the hollow left when the caldera (the hot liquid rock) cooled and withdrew below the earth's surface. Eventually to be filled in by rainfall to make the present lake.

The Oruanui eruption about 26 500 years ago was the most recent large volcanic eruption world wide, measuring 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index Scale.

The Oruanui eruption is believed to have ejected more than 1000 cubic kilometres of material.

[Equivalent to a depth of 10 m over 10 000 sq km, or a depth of 1m over 100 000 sq km. Check the math!]

The most recent eruption was the Hatepe eruption of about 181CE (current Era). Tree ring data gives a lesser age than do ice cores from Greenland.

There are also 'red sky' records from both the Romans and the Chinese.

This eruption blocked off the path of the river to the Firth of Thames and allowed the creation of the current path to Port Waikato.

Records suggest that Taupo has erupted 28 times in the last 27 000 years.

Much of the ejecta is in the form of Ignimbrite, an extremely hot light weight material, containing pumice and volcanic glass. This material is outgassing as it travels, and may reach supersonic speeds. Naturally it is totally destructive.

The Taupo Volcano is dormant, not extinct. There are 'steaming cliffs' still around the lake.

Read more: Lake_taupo_history

Answer 3

The last went on for approximately 2 hours and it took the ash from the sky 2 weeks to disappear and the blast would've been seen pretty much all over the world!

Answer 4

Not soon I hope. For a table of Taupo eruptions see, for example, Awesome Forces, by Hicks & Campbell, p.24. There have been 7 eruptions in the last 3000 years.