N. Zealand Volcano Spews Cloud of Ash
New Zealand’s Mt. Ruapehu volcano kicked back into life Wednesday with an atom-bomb-like mushroom cloud of ash.
Ruapehu’s latest outburst could be seen for many miles, often obscuring the sun and adding an overcast quality to what had been a sunny day.
Scientists said the 9,190-foot volcano, about 140 miles north of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island, had been relatively quiet for most of Tuesday before spurting back to life overnight.
Civil defense officials are now facing the possibility of heightened volcanic activity over a period of several months. Ruapehu’s previous biggest eruption this century, in 1945, lasted 10 months.
There have been no lava flows so far.
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