Mt Ruapehu: 9 interesting facts you should know about New Zealand's largest active volcano

Large signs of increased volcanic activities have been traced by geologists at Mount Ruapehu. The government of New Zealand has taken appropriate measures to safeguard the inhabitance from the threat of volcanic ruptures.

Here are 9 things you should know about Mount Ruapehu and the volcanic activities around it:

1. Mount Ruapehu is a conical volcano situated at the southern tip of the Taupoplateau in New Zealand.

2. The most hazardous active volcano of New Zealand is positioned 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of Lake Taupo inside the Tongariro National Park.

3. A warm acidic-crater lake is developed and filled between the peaks at times of major eruptions which is fed by melting snow. A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera.

An aerial photograph shows the Mount Ruapehu Crater Lake in March 2004.

4. The entire mountain is constituted of andesite and started to erupt at least 250,000 years ago.

5. A tephra dam has been accumulated across the lake's outlet bringing about a risk in the collapse of the dam due to the overflow of water causing a large lahar. Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption.

6. In the year 2000, the Eastern Ruapehu Lahar Alarm and Warning System (ERLAWS) was installed on the mountain in order to detect a collapse and to alert the relevant authorities.

A tourist takes pictures of Mount Ruapehu as it erupts (old picture).

7. The Quake and volcano monitoring service GNS Science vigilance was initiated for Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island's Tongariro national park prior to its eruption in 2007.

8. As per the online media reports, the temperature of the crater lake has risen to around 40 Degrees Celsius from 25 Degrees Celsius since mid of April 2016, bringing about a change in the aviation colour code from green to yellow during this month (May).

Mount Ruapehu, in New Zealand's central north island, lights up the night with plumes of ash and rock (old picture).

9. The 'Lord of the Rings' film trilogy by Peter Jackson were shot on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu. Hence the volcano is also known as the 'Lord of the Rings Volcano'.

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