Mount Tarawera and The Waimangu Valley.
Hydrothermal wonders at Waimangu are steaming remains of a violent volcanic eruption that blew Mount Tarawera apart for the fifth time in its violent history.
The heat source for the eruption lies disconcertingly close to the surface beneath Mount Tarawera.
The devasting eruption on 10 June 1986 began in the early hours while people were asleep. Increasing pressure exerted by high-temperature magma moving deep within the Earth's crust forced a split along the length of Mount Tarawera. A 17 Kilometre scar in the landscape tracks the eruption course as far South as Waimangu.
The volcanic eruption lasted six terrifying hours. In total, 120 people, mainly Maori living in the vicinity, lost their lives.
Southern Crater.
Southern Crater was the final eruptive event of the 1893 eruption, a full stop on the 17Km long fissure that began high up on Mount Tarawera six hours before.
The last Tarawera eruption was the fifth episode in a continuing series. The sixth episode is currently in production as the Pacific Plate slides under 20 Kilometres below, storing energy for the next explosive performance.
The series so far;
Episode 1: Okareka eruption 18 thousand years ago.
Episode 2: Rerewhakaaitu 15 thousand years ago
Episode 3: Waiohau 11 thousand years ago.
Episode 4: Kaharoa c. AD 1305.
Episode 5: Tarawera AD 1886
Episode 6: Spoiler Alert: Watch this episode on Netflix when it screens shortly in geological terms.
In the beginning, there were Cyanobacteria.
The organisms adding colour to the thermal activity are cyanobacteria. They are amongst some of the earliest life forms to be found in the fossil record.
Extremophiles.
Extremophiles love extreme conditions; these conditions push survival to the limits. The colours of microbial mats indicate water temperature. (green mats 48oC, orange mats slightly cooler 42oC.)
Shades of green.
Cyanobacteria, previously known as blue-green algae, are tiny microscopic organisms.
3.5 billion years ago, well before plants appeared, these tiny organisms were responsible for releasing the first oxygen molecules into our atmosphere. They changed the direction of evolution completely during a period of ancient earth history, The Great Oxidation Event.
Cyanobacteria survive to this day in the hydrothermal landscape of Waimangu Valley.
More Steam
Inferno Crater; the beating heart of Waimangu.
Inferno crater lake is the largest geyser-like feature in the world. Water temperatures vary from 35 to 80 degrees Celsius.
Mount Tarawera hidden behind the trees.
Cathedral Rocks.
Originally Gibraltar Rock, the 60,000-year-old massive rhyolite flow was renamed when the 1917 Frying Pan eruption drastically altered its appearance.
