GeoNet has given an update on the Lake Taupō volcano after last week raising the volcanic alert level to level one for the first time.
The science organisation says earthquakes and deformation have continued over the last week.
Due to this the volcanic alert level remains at one.
"The earthquake activity started to increase above background levels in May 2022 as did the ground deformation. The rate of seismicity has varied during the last 4 months but remains above typical background levels," GeoNet said in a report today.
The earthquake sequence remains beneath the central part of Lake Taupō and has continued, albeit at a slightly lower rate this last week. We have now located approximately 750 earthquakes, mainly at a depth of 4 to 13 km beneath the lake, since the unrest began in May 2022.
"The earthquakes in the last week have been concentrated in the eastern part of the lake."
GeoNet says ground deformation at Horomatangi Reef in the lake is caused by the movement of magma and hydrothermal fluids inside the volcano.
"This activity could continue for the coming weeks or months at varying rates or intensities."
Despite the recent unrest, the volcano may not erupt according to GeoNet, who outlined past episodes of unrest to illustrate their point.
"There have been 17 previous episodes of unrest at Taupō over the past 150 years several of these were more severe than what we are currently observing at Taupō.
"None of these episodes, or the many other episodes which would have occurred over the past 1800 years before written records were kept, ended in an eruption.
"The last eruption at Taupō volcano was in 232 AD ± 10 years. The chance of an eruption at Taupō remains very low in any one year."
GeoNet will continue monitoring the volcano and issue updates.
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