Taupō's volcanic alert level unchanged after strong earthquake

December 2, 2022
Lake Taupō (file image).

Taupō's volcanic alert level is set to remain at one after Wednesday night's magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the area.

It was first raised from zero to one in September, after an increase in earthquakes and ground movement since May.

Today, members of the Volcano Monitoring Group, an association of experts, voted to hold the current setting.

"The recent earthquake activity is in the range that had previously been anticipated, and is consistent with minor volcanic unrest.

"The activity does not warrant a move to a higher volcanic alert level," GNS Science said in a statement, while also noting the quake was "widely felt, causing minor damage and a small tsunami in the lake".

Alert level one means there is "minor volcanic unrest" at the site. There are six possible levels, from zero to five inclusive.

Numerous aftershocks of Wednesday's quake have been recorded, with tremors in the area registered by GeoNet well into today.

"The M5.6 earthquake has been followed by over 350 located aftershocks. The largest was M4.5, with two others above M4.

"The magnitude and rate of aftershocks has started to decline but is expected to continue for several weeks," GNS Science said.

They also noted that other significant quakes could be on the way for the region.

The research institute predicts a 26% chance of "one or more" earthquakes of M5 or larger in the next week, and a 35% chance of the same thing within the next 30 days.

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