Rangitoto (volcano)
| Rangitoto | |
|---|---|
 Rangitoto Island from the ferry |
|
| height | 260 m |
| location | Hauraki Gulf |
| Coordinates | 36 ° 47 '9 " S , 174 ° 51' 35" O |
| Topo map | Rangitoto ( Auckland Region ) |
 |
|
| Type | Monogenetic volcano |
| rock | basalt |
| Last eruption | 1450 AD |
The Rangitoto is an inactive volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field of the North Island of New Zealand .
geography
The Rangitoto is located around 10 km northeast of downtown Auckland and thus on the western edge of the Hauraki Gulf . The 260 m high volcano is identical to the Rangitoto Island that it formed. The volcanic crater measures between 160 and 170 m in diameter, and between 4.8 and 5.8 km in diameter on the shoreline. It is the largest and youngest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the Auckland Volcanic Field , which extends over the Auckland Council metropolitan area and parts of the Hauraki Gulf . The volcanic island is not inhabited, but is used for hiking. Tourists can take a bus to the top.
Emergence
The Rangitoto was formed in at least two eruption phases around 600 and 550 years ago. A human footprint in the ashes of the volcano, which was formed around 1400, is evidence of one of its eruptions. The Auckland Volcanic Field , which looks back on 250,000 years of history, is a so-called monogenetic volcanic field, in which volcanoes usually only erupt once. The size and duration of an eruption depends on the size of the lava bubble formed. The Rangitoto erupted in two demonstrable phases. The first eruption took place north of today's crater and formed the first part of the island. The second eruption phase, which took place around 1450, formed a new lava chamber that discharged at the point where the present crater is located. The material erupted by Rangitoto is estimated to be around two cubic kilometers and accounts for around 60% of the material ejected by all volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field . It is by far the largest volcano in the volcanic field.
Until around 1920, the Rangitoto was only slightly green. Afterwards, the island was planted with Pohutukawa bushes by the convicts . Since then, bees have been kept there and Pohutukawa honey has been sold.
Origin of name
The name " Rangitoto " comes from the Māori language and means something like "bloody sky". The name of the mountain, however, is said to have been in full " Te Rangi i totongia te ihu a Tama-te-kapua " (" the day on which blood flowed from Tama-te-kapua ?? s nose "). According to legend, the crews of the two canoes Arawa Waka and Tainui Waka were involved in a dispute in which the crew of the Arawa Waka was defeated. Their leader Tama-te-kapua was injured in battle and his people eventually had to leave the island.
See also
Web links
- Auckland Field in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Rangitoto Volcano . (PDF 548 kB) GNS Science ,accessed on April 18, 2016(English).
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Jan Lindsay, Andrew Needham, Ian Smith : Rangitoto re ‐ visited: new insights to an old friend . (PDF 2.9 MB) University of Auckland , November 21, 2010, accessed on April 18, 2016 (English).
- ↑ Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed April 18, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Rangitoto Volcano . (PDF 548 kB) GNS Science , accessed on April 18, 2016 (English).
- ↑ Eileen McSaveney : Historic volcanic activity - Footprint in Rangitoto ash . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , November 16, 2012, accessed April 18, 2016 .
- ^ Rangitoto Island . Auckland War Memorial Museum , accessed April 18, 2016 .