Mount Tongariro erupted with a brief blast of dark ash on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, cancelling flights but causing no significant damage. Schoolchildren and dozens of other hikers who were walking on trails along the mountain's base were safe. This was the second time the New Zealand volcano has erupted in less than four months, and it sent a dark ash plume about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) into the sky. A no-fly alert above the mountain located in the sparsely populated area of central North Island was issued by authorities.
National carrier Air New Zealand advised travelers that some of its flights could be delayed or cancelled because of the eruption. Airline spokeswoman Brigitte Ransom said two flights had been cancelled by midafternoon.
Tongariro National Park is a popular tourist destination (being the backdrop for many scenes in "The Lord of the Rings" movies.
Tony Hurst, a volcanologist with GNS Science, said the eruption lasted about five minutes and was unexpected. Hurst believes that the dark ask indicated magma pressure deep underground, causing the eruption.
I thought this article was interesting in that no one was actually hurt during the eruption. Even though no on was seriously injured, I'm curious to see how the public would have responded if there was indeed a large group of people who were injured. Since Hurst stated the eruption was unexpected, it can be awfully difficult to mitigate for such an event.
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