Isaac Davidson writes in the New Zealand Herald about a huge undersea volcano which has partially collapsed off the coast of Auckland.
The volcano, called Rumble III, has crumbled by more than 100m – the collapse was caused by a recent eruption.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
Niwa principal scientist Geoffrey Lamarche said that the discovery provided a rare insight into the movements of the seabed over a short timespan.
…
“He said they could use the information to gauge the potential impact of a larger collapse on New Zealand’s shores. Rumble III’s peak was shallow – now 300 metres under the surface – and another, greater collapse on the western side could send a tsunami towards Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.
“Dr Wysoczanski said a number of eruptions and landslips in the last 10 years showed New Zealand’s seascape was more changeable than first thought.
“He pointed to eruptions at Monowai in 2008, Raoul Volcano in 2006, and White Island in 2000 and 2001.”