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Connect with supervolcano experts

<- Homepage: Natural Hazards: Our Taupō supervolcano


Experts and web conferences

Replay web conferences

The following questions from schools are answered by Ben, Sylvia and Graham:

  1. How is a supervolcano formed?
  2. What causes a supervolcano to erupt and how much damage can that cause?
  3. What makes tectonic plates move?
  4. How does a pyroclastic flow stop?
  5. How can the Taupō supervolcano help us to understand volcanoes better?
  6. How do humans live with supervolcanoes?
  7. Could humans cause a supervolcano to erupt? Why/why not?

CORE Education · LEARNZ Natural Hazards Taupō Supervolcano Podcast 1 of 3

The following questions from schools are answered by Ben, Kiharoa, Bubs, and Graham:

  1. How many people would be involved in the monitoring (watching or studying) of the volcanoes in New Zealand?
  2. Does ash freeze if it is too high in the atmosphere?
  3. What technology do you think will be available in 50 year's time to monitor volcanoes to keep people and animals even safer?
  4. How did water fill up the caldera?
  5. Can you cook a meal in the hot pools at the top of the volcano?
  6. How hot is the magma in the chamber under Taupō?
  7. What would New Zealand’s most active or dangerous volcano be?
  8. Do other countries study our volcanoes. If so why?
  9. How do geologists measure when a supervolcano is going to erupt?

CORE Education · LEARNZ Natural Hazards Taupō Supervolcano Podcast 2 of 3

The following questions from schools are answered by Ben, Kiharoa, Sylvia, and Graham:

  1. We saw a GNS video on measuring sulfate and chloride ions in the crater lake. Do geologists measure these in Lake Taupō to track activity?
  2. How can we tell if a supervolcano is in a building phase, “potentially culminating, at some undetermined point in the future, in a large-scale eruption again in New Zealand"?
  3. Yellowstone is a famous supervolcano, is it more likely to erupt again before Lake Taupō caldera?
  4. Are all supervolcanoes rhyolite calderas?
  5. Does new pumice get generated without an eruption? It always seems to be floating on the lake.
  6. Could we get a supervolcano in Auckland?
  7. There is a geothermal electricity station near Taupō. Why don't we have any at Tongariro or Rotorua?QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

CORE Education · LEARNZ Natural Hazards Taupō Supervolcano Podcast 3 of 3

Supporting activity for learners: Work on this activity while listening to live or recorded web conferences/podcasts - Word (25k) | PDF (167k) | Google Doc.

Meet the experts

Meet Ben Kennedy: Volcanologist

Find out more about Ben.

Meet Graham Leonard: GNS scientist

Find out more about Graham.

Meet Sylvia Tapuke: iwi-based researcher for the Taupō Volcanic Zone

Find out more about Sylvia.

Meet Bubs Smith from Ngāti Tuwharetoa and DoC

Find out more about Bubs.

Meet Pouroto Ngaropo

Find out more about Pouroto.

Meet Kiharoa Milroy: Te Reo Māori teacher

Find out more about Kiharoa.

Meet Shelley the LEARNZ field trip teacher.