"Mount Doom's Neighbor Erupts in New Zealand"
Photograph by Stefan Keller, Reuters
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Written By:
Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
Published November 21, 2012
Mount Tongariro is a New Zealand volcano that neighbors a mountain best known as Mount Doom of the Lord of the Rings films. It is situated in a remote part of the country's North Island, and has erupted for five minutes on November 21, spewing clouds of ash 2.5 miles high. In August, the 6490-foot Tongariro had erupted for the first time since 1897.
Although the recent activity seems to have ebbed, scientists have predicted another eruption of similar size will occur within the next few weeks. As a result, several flights have been canceled on New Zealand's North Island. Previous eruptions—notably of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010—have crippled air travel on a global scale.
"'Very often volcanic ash contains microscopic fragments of volcanic glass ... and the turbine engines of commercial aircraft produce a level of heat sufficient to melt glass,' Steven Miller, of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, told NASA's Earth Observatory in August. 'The ash can melt onto [airplane] turbine blades and other parts of the engine, causing damage and even engine stalls. It also presents hazards to pilot visibility, causing pits and frosting on the windshields in the same way that a sandstorm damages an automobile windshield.'"
Eruptions are always a primary cause for concern and have every right to be. There is really no telling whether a volcano will spew a minimal amount of ash and smoke or a massive amount of lava such as the events of Mt. Saint Helens. I recommend that all volcanic activity be known by all locals through any means necessary to avoid any future catastrophes no matter how slim the chances may be.
- Andrew
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