Whakaari / White Island

The crater lake by White Iceland

White Iceland ( New Zealand official name: Whakaari / White Iceland ) is New Zealand's only active volcano island, and perhaps the most visited Earth. The full Māori name for this island is ' Te Puia o Whakaari " (short: Whakaari ), meaning" the dramatic volcano "or" visible " means. Many scientists, volcanologists as well as tourists visit this island. A hike to White Iceland reminiscent of a walk on the moon or on the surface of Mars. Everywhere escapes from hissing fumaroles sulphurous steam. Therefore, the surface of the volcano is covered with segregated bright yellow sulfur. These sulfur deposits were mined from the middle of the 19th to the early 20th century by a sulfur mine commercially. In the bizarre lunar landscape there is no life except for a small gannet colony.

• 2.1 discovery
• 2.2 outbreaks
• 2.3 Mining of White Iceland

Geography

Location

White Iceland is located 48 kilometers northeast of the North Island in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. The next mainland towns are Whakatane and Tauranga. The volcano has the shape of a circle has a diameter of about 2 km and rises 321 meters above the sea level. However, this is only the tip of a much larger submarine mountain, which rises 1,600 m above the sea floor. For this volcanic structure is the largest in New Zealand. The volcanic cone that forms White Iceland is, more than two million years old.

Projects

Volcanologists from the GeoNet Project continually monitor the activity of the volcano with the help of electronic means such as surveillance cameras, magnetic field strength measuring devices and seismological equipment for earthquake warnings. Up to a thousand earthquakes are registered per day on this island, most of which are so weak that only seismographs perceive it.

History

Discovery

White Iceland was discovered by James Cook when he sailed on 1 October 1769, the Bay of Plenty. He named the island so because they constantly appeared in a cloud of white steam. Although he came close to the island, he had not noticed that it was a volcano.

Outbreaks

In March 2000, three small openings formed in the main crater, which meant that the volcano began to emit ash. He covered the whole island, with fine gray dust. An eruption on 27 July 2000 eventually formed a new crater.

During the outbreaks between 1981 and 1983, the island's landscape changed dramatically. A large part of pohutukawa forest was destroyed. During this time in the main crater was formed a small lake. The crater lake is lit today in many different colors, such as gray or green.

Mining of White Iceland

At the beginning of the 20th century, an attempt was started to reduce on White Iceland sulfur. After 1914 eleven miners were killed by a Mure, it was abandoned.

Some years later, the reduction of sulfur was resumed, but they had learned from the disaster of 1914. The workers took advantage of huts on a plateau of the island. Every day they had their boats with the help of a scaffold immersion and rowing to the loading place in Crater Bay. In stormy seas, they even climbed on a narrow path around the rocks. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, sulfur has been used in medicine as an antibacterial agent or for the sterilization of wine corks, or for the preparation of match heads. The mined sulfur was transported with small trolley to the factory. Unfortunately, there was too little sulfur on the volcano, and thus the top layer of soil was used as a component of agricultural fertilizer. Due to the low mineral content of the fertilizer mining was completed in the 1930s. The ruins of the buildings, which were corroded by the sulfur- containing gases, can still be seen today.

Tourism

The island is marketed touristy, various companies have received from the private owners of the island, the license to conduct guided tours to the island. From Whakatane by boat or by helicopter from different places visitors are brought to the island. It is mandatory that visitors are allowed to move only with sturdy shoes and an on-board respirator, and a protective helmet on the island. Due to the location of the island, almost 50 km from the North Island in the sea, affecting the tides and the prevailing wind direction, whether the landing by boat is possible. The landing of the boats made ​​to the remains of the old pier of the mining company from the 1930s.

The number of visitors that may be brought by various companies per year to the island is regulated.