Taupo Supervolcano Update; A Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Strikes the Volcano

In New Zealand, the supervolcano known as Lake Taupo to the south of the city of Taupo produced an unusually large earthquake which registered in as a magnitude 5.4. This occurred while the volcano was at a raised alert level, and caused cracks to appear in areas surrounding the lake. Despite potentially having a volcanic origin, this quake is not as worrying as you might think it is.

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0:00 M5.4 Earthquake
1:16 Geologic Setting
1:50 VT Earthquakes
2:53 Aftershocks
3:04 Conclusion

[GeologyHub]

The M5.4 earthquake also generated what may have been a minor tsunami with up to 1 m runup in Lake Taupo.

[jameshl]

Thank you for covering this ongoing event! 2 other things worth mentioning following this event is that in the Taupo suburb of Wharewaka, approx. 20 meters of shoreline collapsed into the lakebed. The ground nearby is currently being treated as unstable and has been closed to public access. Also, either a small tsunami or a lake seiche was triggered by this earthquake, that destroyed boats and caused some damage to the foreshore around Taupo township. Alot of people around Taupo are on edge, and there is alot of worry in the community. Taupo is a major tourist destination and New Zealand is currently in summer where tourism in Taupo is key to the economy. And alot of people arent coming

[Andrew-isrs]

I have canoed lake Tp.
Freezing 😂
Once you recognise the tops of the vertical cliffs used to be land you understand the scale of the explosion.
Oh, by the way, Tp has wonderful cafes!
👍

[childoftime]

I would definitely be on alert if I lived in the area. The ground has been deforming for a few months and the earthquake swarms are increasing. I'd say it's giving fair warning. We know how suddenly these things can blow.

[rm]

A very important clarification is that this increase to alert level 1 is the first time the alert level has been raise, not because this is the first time we have recorded activity of this nature. But because this is the first time since this new alert level system has been implemented. There is a well established history of magma driven earthquake swarms here.

[joshuajackson]

Thank you, clear definitions & explanations

[retropipes]

Fascinating! Didn't realize that this phenomenon could produce such large earthquakes... volcanology is so complex!

[michalewalker]

Thanks for making this one I needed more information.

[queenofswords]

I don’t recall Taupo ever being this active in my lifetime (over 40 years). The whole caldera has been acting up for a while now.

[noone-mzcd]

Can you do a general video about this volcano, it has quite a history with a massive caldera collapse

[abydos]

To be fair to all those saying we Kiwis should be concerned or whatnot, its a Super Volcano. What could we possibly do to prepare or where could we possibly evactuate to? It would devastate the entire North Island, maybe even the whole country.

[lindakayjohnson]

Mt Taranaki is the one that will surprise us I think! There's been a lot of slips over the years creating deeper, steeper valleys etc..our Maunga is quite fragile, crumbly and the face toward the coast is changing. Big deep scars becoming more and more apparent. Kia kaha our beautiful Maunga.

[jimsretiring]

New to your channel, enjoying the daily content for sure. Thank you.

[sheenal]

Thank you for covering this! I had heard about the swarms but didn’t know whether it was truly significant

[ClarkeDesign]

Can't wait to visit Taupo and Rotorua in a few weeks for the first time. excited.

[zed]

I don't know much, but to be honest, it feels like at some point in the future we could see a big eruption from Lake Taupo, having a magma chamber below it, and still plenty of activity and movement happening. One slip of one particular section could change everything. Is it more of a luck thing then? Could a larger quake in the area change things dramatically?

[bigrooster]

So what would a 7.0-7.5 magnitude, earthquake represent if it happened near that spot? I agree that there’s no worry for a eruption but a phreatic eruption could happen anytime there.

[Stephano]

Very good video. There was also a small tsunami/seiche (the sources articles quoted that I read weren't sure at the time), which damaged some pedal boats and washed sticks and driftwood higher up the shoreline than usual.

[christopherbeddoe]

Very interesting. Let's hope things don't get too crazy.

[cristinamunoz]

Loved the video! Could you cover the volcanoes around the Canary Islands and recent volcanic activity at some point?