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A new study has mapped which parts of Auckland are most at-risk from volcanic eruptions. Areas in red the most at-risk, and areas in green are the safest
A new study has found Three Kings and Mangere are the most susceptible suburbs in Auckland to a volcanic eruption.
Gábor Kereszturi, a PhD student from Massey University, used a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping technique to give areas a susceptibility score in the event of an eruption.
His scoring system showed Three Kings and Māngere have a higher chance of explosive volcanic activity than other parts of Auckland, like the elevated North Shore. Other areas of moderate risk included Favona and Otahuhu, and the safest areas were Glenfield and Chatswood.
Kereszturi’s study focused on a particular type of eruption called phreatomagmatic, where magma and water mix underground to cause a violent explosion.
His GIS mapping technique combined multiple layers of information onto a map.
Kereszturi started by creating a detailed map of Auckland’s topography, which was combined with a geological map and field mapping that allowed him to estimate how past volcanoes erupted.
He could then how predict how lava might flow in the present day.
His final layer of information was environmental factors like thickness of underlying rocks and sediments in Auckland, sea water level and distance from fault lines.
He said the GIS approach was extremely powerful.
“Forecasting where the next eruption is going to occur is challenging. But by creating a model based on many different types of information we have readily available, it allows us to predict how a potential future volcano in Auckland might erupt and how big an area it would impact,” he said.
He said the next step was to add urban elements like buildings and infrastructure to the model.
Courtesy of stuff.co.nz
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