Global Volcanism Program

Most Recent Weekly Report: 28 March-3 April 2001 Cite this Report

On 30 March the IGNS reported that a moderate-sized hydrothermal explosion occurred in the Alum Lakes area, Wairakei, knocking over trees and destroying vegetation near the crater. Water levels at several of the Alum Lakes had dropped several weeks before the explosion.

Source: GeoNet

Weekly Reports - Index

2001: March

28 March-3 April 2001 Cite this Report

On 30 March the IGNS reported that a moderate-sized hydrothermal explosion occurred in the Alum Lakes area, Wairakei, knocking over trees and destroying vegetation near the crater. Water levels at several of the Alum Lakes had dropped several weeks before the explosion.

Source: GeoNet

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Maroa.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Rolles Peak
Apuahoe

Stratovolcano

570 m

38° 40' 0" S

176° 15' 0" E

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Whakamaru

Pleistocene caldera

38° 30' 0" S

176° 5' 0" E

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Ben Lomond

Dome

740 m

38° 35' 0" S

175° 58' 0" E

Caws Road

Dome

598 m

38° 24' 0" S

175° 50' 0" E

Kaimanawa

Dome

534 m

38° 35' 0" S

176° 14' 0" E

Mangatoetoe

Dome

641 m

38° 30' 0" S

176° 7' 0" E

Mangatutu

Dome

525 m

38° 25' 0" S

176° 3' 0" E

Maraemanuka

Dome

610 m

38° 28' 0" S

175° 51' 0" E

Maroa North

Dome

770 m

38° 28' 0" S

176° 2' 0" E

Maroa South

Dome

686 m

38° 30' 0" S

176° 2' 0" E

Maroa West

Dome

792 m

38° 30' 0" S

176° 0' 0" E

Maroanui

Dome

897 m

38° 31' 0" S

176° 1' 0" E

Maungaiti

Dome

774 m

38° 20' 0" S

175° 56' 0" E

Mokai

Dome

740 m

38° 34' 0" S

175° 55' 0" E

Ngangiho

Dome

656 m

38° 35' 0" S

176° 3' 0" E

Ngautuku

Dome

626 m

38° 23' 0" S

176° 1' 0" E

Oheinui

Dome

805 m

38° 29' 0" S

176° 5' 0" E

Oruahinawe

Dome

526 m

38° 36' 0" S

176° 7' 0" E

Oruanui

Dome

720 m

38° 35' 0" S

176° 1' 0" E

Pohaturoa

Dome

520 m

38° 24' 0" S

176° 1' 0" E

Pokuru

Dome

673 m

38° 29' 0" S

175° 51' 0" E

Pukeahua

Dome

715 m

38° 26' 0" S

176° 0' 0" E

Pukemoremore

Dome

686 m

38° 31' 0" S

175° 58' 0" E

Puketarata

Dome

690 m

38° 33' 0" S

176° 3' 0" E

Rapanui

Dome

740 m

38° 22' 0" S

175° 54' 0" E

Te Terata

Dome

704 m

38° 32' 0" S

175° 53' 0" E

Tirohanga

Dome

590 m

38° 27' 0" S

175° 53' 0" E

Tuahu

Dome

591 m

38° 28' 0" S

176° 4' 0" E

Tutukau

Dome

800 m

38° 28' 0" S

176° 7' 0" E

Upper Atiamuri

Dome

535 m

38° 19' 0" S

176° 6' 0" E

Whakapapataringa

Dome

680 m

38° 32' 0" S

176° 10' 0" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Atiamuri

Thermal

Craters of the Moon
Karapiti

Thermal

38° 38' 0" S

176° 5' 0" E

Geyser Valley

Geyser

38° 38' 0" S

176° 5' 0" E

Ngatamariki

Thermal

310 m

38° 32' 0" S

176° 10' 30" E

Ongarato

Thermal

Orakeikorako

Thermal

360 m

38° 28' 30" S

176° 9' 0" E

Rotokaua
Rotokawa

Thermal

360 m

38° 37' 30" S

176° 12' 0" E

Waiora Valley

Thermal

38° 38' 0" S

176° 5' 0" E

Wairakei

Thermal

460 m

38° 37' 30" S

176° 4' 0" E

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

241061

Pleistocene

897 m / 2,943 ft

38.42°S
176.08°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Caldera

Volcano Types
Caldera(s)
Lava dome(s)

Rock Types

Major
Rhyolite

Minor
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

117
532
27,958
475,588

Geological Summary

The 16 x 25 km area defined as the Maroa Volcanic Centre formed sometime after 230,000 years ago (230 ka) in the NE corner of the 30 x 40 km Whakamaru caldera, which is the largest of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The Whakamaru caldera partially overlaps with the Taupo caldera on the south and was formed during the eruption of the Whakamaru Group ignimbrites between about 340 and 330 ka. The Maroa area was subsequently filled by at least 70 rhyolitic lava domes or flows, mostly erupted along a SW-NE trend. Lesser amounts of basalt were also erupted. The latest dated magmatic eruption took place about 14 ka, when the rhyolitic Puketarata tuff ring and lava domes were formed (Brooker et al., 1993). The Orakeikorako, Ngatamariki, Rotokaua, and Wairakei hydrothermal areas are located within or adjacent to the Whakamaru caldera. Large hydrothermal eruptions have occurred at the Orakeikorako thermal area during the Holocene, the latest immediately prior to the Taupo eruption about 1,800 years ago.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Allis R G, 1984. The 9 April 1983 steam eruption at Craters of the Moon thermal area, Wairakei. New Zeal Dept Sci Ind Res Rpt, 196: 1-25.

Alloway B V, Pillans B J, Carter L, Naish T R, Westgate J A, 2005. Onshore-offshore correlation of Pleistocene rhyolitic eruptions from New Zealand: implications for TVZ eruptive history and paleoenvironmental construction. Quat Sci Rev, 24: 1601-1622.

Brooker M R, Houghton B F, Wilson C J N, Gamble J A, 1993. Pyroclastic phases of a rhyolitic dome-building eruption: Puketarata tuff ring, Taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand. Bull Volcanol, 55: 395-406.

Brown S J A, Wilson C J N, Cole J W, Wooden J, 1998. The Whakamaru Group ignimbrites, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand: evidence for reverse tapping of a zoned silicic magmatic system. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 84: 1-37.

IAVCEI, 1973-80. Post-Miocene Volcanoes of the World. IAVCEI Data Sheets, Rome: Internatl Assoc Volc Chemistry Earth's Interior.

Kissling W M, Weir G J, 2005. The spatial distribution of the geothermal fields in the Taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 145: 136-150.

Nairn I A, Cole J W, 1975. New Zealand. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 22: 1-156.

Spinks K D, Acocella V, Cole J W, Bassett K N, 2005. Structural control of volcanism and caldera development in the transtensional Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 144: 7-22.

Spinks K D, Cole J W, Leonard G S, 2004. Caldera volcanism in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Geol Soc New Zeal, New Zeal Geophys Soc, 26th New Zeal Geotherm Workshop, 6th-9th Dec 2004, Great Lake Centre, Taupo, Field Trip Guides, 7: 110-135.

Wilson C J N, Gravley D M, Leonard G S, Rowland J V, 2009. Volcanism in the central Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand: tempo, styles and controls. In: Thordarson T, Self S, Larsen G, Rowland S K, Hoskuldsson A (eds), Studies in Volcanology: The Legacy of George Walker. Geol Soc London, p 225-247.

Wilson C J N, Houghton B F, Lloyd E F, 1986. Volcanic history and evolution of Maroa-Taupo area, central North Island. Roy Soc New Zeal Bull, 23: 194-223.

Wilson C J N, Houghton B F, McWilliams M O, Lanphere M A, Weaver S D, Briggs R M, 1995. Volcanic and structural evolution of Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand: a review. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 68: 1-28.

Wilson C J N, Rogan A M, Smith I E M, Northey D J, Nairn I A, Houghton B F, 1984. Caldera volcanoes of the Taupo volcanic zone, New Zealand. J. Geophys. Res, 89: 8463-8484.

Eruptive History

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Maroa. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 12,000 years ago, information might be found on the Maroa page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Maroa.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Maroa.

Photo Gallery

Steam rises from a geothermal plant in the Maroa caldera. The 16 x 25 km caldera formed sometime after 230,000 years ago in the NE corner of the larger Whakamaru caldera. The Maroa caldera was filled by at least 70 rhyolitic lava domes and flows. The latest dated eruption took place about 14,000 years ago at Puketarata. Large hydrothermal explosions have occurred during the Holocene, most recently about 1800 years ago at the time of a major eruption at the neighboring Taupo volcanic centre.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1986.

Ngangiho lava dome is one of at least 70 post-caldera lava domes erupted within the Maroa caldera, which formed sometime after about 230,000 years ago N of the Taupo caldera. The youngest of the post-caldera lava domes is Puketarata, which grew within a rhyolitic tuff ring about 14,000 years ago. The domes were erupted along a general SW-NE trend, parallel to the structural trend of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. No Holocene eruptions have occurred, but vigorous thermal activity continues.

Photo by Ichio Moriya (Kanazawa University).

Siliceous sinter terraces located within the at Orakei Korako thermal areas in New Zealand. The thermal area lies along the Waikato River at an elevation of 260-360 m on the E side of the Maroa volcanic center. Hydrothermal explosions took place at five centers at Orakei Korako prior to the Taupo pumice eruption about 1,800 years ago, depositing explosion breccias that immediately underlie the Taupo Pumice.

Photo by Richard Wysoczanski, 1994 (Smithsonian Institution).

Algae colors the surface of siliceous sinter terraces at the Orakei Korako thermal area. This geothermal area is one of the principal hydrothermal fields of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. It lies on the banks of the Waikato River where the Paeroa Fault divides into smaller branches that intersect the E margin of the Maroa Volcanic Center. Orakei Korako contains sinter sheets covering an area of about 1 km². Flooding of the river hydroelectric power generation has drowned about 70% of the hot springs.

Photo by Richard Wysoczanski, 1994 (Smithsonian Institution).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 8 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number	Sample Description	Lava Source	Collection Date
NMNH 116566-10	Volcanic Rock	WAIRAKEI	--
NMNH 116566-11	Volcanic Rock	WAIRAKEI	--
NMNH 117454-37	Perlite	--	--
NMNH 117454-38	Perlite	--	--
NMNH 117454-39	Obsidian	--	--
NMNH 117454-40	Perlite	--	--
NMNH 117454-41	Obsidian	--	--
NMNH 117454-42	Pumice	--	--

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Maroa. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Maroa. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

Large Eruptions of Maroa

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).