Vulcanism

Lesson 5: Raoul Island – A Recent Volcanic Event

Mount Ruapehu, 1995. Shaky Beginnings (Bryan Bruce Productions, 1999)

Key Content

• Raoul Island’s 2006 eruption.
• Monitoring volcanic hazards.
• Hazards posed to humans by volcanic events.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Describe where Raoul Island is.
• Explain the dynamic nature of Raoul Island.
• Describe the effects of an eruption of Raoul Island’s landscape.

Relevant Film Archive Footage and Key Questions

15. Raoul Island Once Upon An Island

Once Upon an Island. Pictorial Parade 247 (1971)

Nine men on lonely Raoul Island - 600 miles from Auckland - feed weather information every 3 hours, 7 days a week to New Zealand. Earthquakes are so frequent that everyone ignores them; the island is also alive with volcanic activity reminding the men that their peaceful existence is at the mercy of the elements.

a. Name the lake that erupted on Raoul Island in 1964?
Green Lake.

16. Raoul Island, One News 17/03/2006

One News (17 March 2006)

Footage of the 2006 eruption on Raoul that killed a DOC worker.

a) Which Government organization did the missing man work for?
DOC (Department of Conservation).

b) What was the missing man doing when the eruption took place?
Taking water temperature samples from a lake.

17. Raoul Island, One News 18/03/2006

One News (18 March 2006)

Continued footage of the 2006 eruption on Raoul, the search for the missing DOC worker, and some details about the past recent history of volcanic activity of the island.

a) How far North-east of New Zealand is Raoul island? 1000km.

b) Describe the landscape around the crater that exploded?
Lots of ash, stripped vegetation, toppled trees, unstable ground.

c) What hit Raoul island five days before the 2006 eruption?
A swarm of earthquake tremors.

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