Whakaari / White Island

"White Island, New Zealand" redirects here. For the island near Dunedin, see White Island (Otago).

Whakaari / White Island
Whakaari (Māori)
Whakaari / White Island seen from the south
Highest point
Elevation321 m (1,053 ft)
Prominence321 m (1,053 ft)
Coordinates37°31′12″S 177°10′57″E / 37.52000°S 177.18250°E / -37.52000; 177.18250
Geography
Map
Location of Whakaari / White Island
LocationBay of Plenty, (off) North Island, New Zealand
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Volcanic arc/beltTaupō Volcanic Zone
Last eruption11 August 2024 (ongoing)[1]

Whakaari / White Island ([faˈkaːɾi], Māori: Te Puia Whakaari, lit. "the dramatic volcano"[2]), also known as White Island or Whakaari, is an active andesite stratovolcano situated 48 km (30 mi) from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. The island covers an area of approximately 325 ha (800 acres),[3] which is just the peak of a much larger submarine volcano.

Topographical map of Whakaari / White Island

The island is New Zealand's most active cone volcano, and has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years.[4] The nearest mainland towns are Whakatāne and Tauranga. The island has been in a nearly continuous stage of releasing volcanic gas at least since it was sighted by James Cook in 1769. Whakaari erupted continually from December 1975 until September 2000, and also erupted in 2012, 2016, and 2019.

Sulphur was mined on the island until the 1930s. Ten miners were killed in 1914 when part of the crater wall collapsed.

A large eruption occurred at 14:11 on 9 December 2019, which resulted in 22 fatalities, including two people who were missing and ruled to be dead by a coroner.[5][6] Twenty-five survivors were injured, many critically and with severe burns. Forty-seven people were reportedly on the island when it erupted. A second eruption closely followed the first.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference geonet2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "White Island, New Zealand : Whakaari/White Island, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand". Tourism.net.nz. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. ^ Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. pp. 412. ISBN 978-0-89577-087-5.
  4. ^ "White Island". GeoNet. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Another person dies of injuries from Whakaari / White Island eruption, bringing death toll to 20". TVNZ. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Final two missing after Whakaari/White Island eruption confirmed dead by coroner". Stuff. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Sixteenth victim of Whakaari/White Island tragedy dies in Australia". TVNZ. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.