Editing Mount Ngauruhoe

{{short description|Active volcano in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Ngauruhoe 
| photo = Le Ngauruhoe et le Ruapehu vus du sommet du Tongariro.jpg
| photo_caption = Ngauruhoe seen from [[Mount Tongariro]]
| elevation_m = 2291
| elevation_ref = 
| prominence_m  =
| prominence_ref=
| listing = [[List of mountains of New Zealand by height|Mountains of New Zealand]]
| pronunciation = {{IPA|mi|ŋaːʉɾʉhɔɛ|lang}}
| location = [[North Island]], [[New Zealand]]
| map = New Zealand
| map_caption = New Zealand
| label_position = left
| coordinates   = {{coord|39|09|24.6|S|175|37|55.8|E|type:mountain_region:NZ_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref=
| topo = 
| type = [[Parasitic cone]] ([[Active volcano|active]])
| age = 
| volcanic_arc/belt = [[Taupō Volcanic Zone]]
| last_eruption = 1977<ref name=gvp>{{cite gvp|vn=241080|title=Tongariro|accessdate=6 April 2018}}</ref>
| first_ascent =March 1839 by [[John Carne Bidwill|John Bidwill]], an English [[botanist]]. Two Māori guides came with him to within 1 kilometre of the peak.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = BIDWILL, John Carne | url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/bidwill-john-carne | year=1966 | encyclopedia=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand | publisher = Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga | access-date = 19 February 2014 }}</ref>
| easiest_route = [[Scrambling|Scramble]] (summer)
|fetchwikidata=AL
}}

'''Mount Ngauruhoe''' ({{langx|mi|Ngāuruhoe}}) is a [[volcanic cone]] in [[New Zealand]]. It is the youngest vent in the [[Mount Tongariro|Tongariro]] [[stratovolcano]]  complex on the [[Central Plateau, New Zealand|Central Plateau]] of the [[North Island]] and first erupted about 2,500&nbsp;years ago.<ref name="VGT">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RjWPbnRuWk8C&pg=PA291 |page=291 |title=Volcano and Geothermal Tourism: Sustainable Geo-Resources for Leisure and Recreation |author1-first=Patricia |author1-last=Erfurt-Cooper |author2-first=Malcolm |author2-last=Cooper |publisher=Earthscan |year=2010|isbn=9781849775182 }}</ref> Although often regarded as a separate mountain, geologically, it is a secondary cone of Mount Tongariro.

The volcano lies between the active volcanoes of Mount Tongariro to the north and [[Mount Ruapehu]] to the south, to the west of the [[Rangipo Desert]] and {{convert|25|km|abbr=off}} to the south of the southern shore of [[Lake Taupō]].

== Etymology ==
Before the initial mapping of the area introduced labelling confusion, the local Māori name for the cone was Tongariro, and its summit crater was known as Ngāuruhoe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.geonet.org.nz/news/4AyaQgRSoQkilwSKKTCrC7|title=Ngāuruhoe: the fiery history of Aotearoa's once-most active volcano|publisher=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|Geonet]]|location=New Zealand|date=15 January 2025|access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref> 

The local Māori traditions state that the volcano was named by [[Ngātoro-i-rangi]], an ancestor of the local Māori [[iwi]], [[Ngāti Tūwharetoa]]. Ngātoro-i-rangi called volcanic fire from his homeland [[Hawaiki]], which eventually emerged at Ngauruhoe.<ref name="j1912">{{cite journal|title=Some New Zealand Volcanoes|author=J. Mackintosh Bell|journal=The Geographical Journal|issue=1|date=July 1912|volume=40|pages= 8–10|doi=10.2307/1778890|jstor= 1778890|bibcode=1912GeogJ..40....8B |url=https://zenodo.org/record/2110066}}</ref>
The name given by Ngātoro-i-rangi (''Ngāuruhoe'') either commemorates his slave, who had died from the cold before the fire arrived,<ref name="j1912"/> or refers to the insertions (''ngā uru'') of Ngātoro-i-rangi's ''hoe'' (paddle-like staff) into the ground during his summoning of the volcanic fire.

== Geology ==
{{maplink|frame=yes 
|frame-align=right
|text=Map that shows Mount Ngauruhoe, as largest {{legend-inline|#fad794|pale orange}} [[Holocene]] cone. Also shown are other [[Mount Tongariro|Tongariro]] vents, cones or craters active in the last 15,000 years. Vent areas are outlined in {{legend-inline|#ffff00|yellow}}. lakes in vents are outlined in {{legend-inline|#0000ff|blue}}. Clicking on the map enlarges it, and enables panning and mouseover of feature's name/wikilink and ages before present.
|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Mount Tongariro}}
|frame-width=180
|frame-height=180
|frame-lat=-39.145
|frame-long=175.645
|icon=no
|zoom=11
}}
In this region of the southern [[Taupō Rift]], the [[Tertiary]] [[greywacke]] basement is tens to hundreds of metres thick and hundreds of metres above sea level.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leonard |first1=Graham S. |last2=Cole |first2=Rosie P. |last3=Christenson |first3=Bruce W. |last4=Conway |first4=Chris E. |last5=Cronin |first5=Shane J. |last6=Gamble |first6=John A. |last7=Hurst |first7=Tony |last8=Kennedy |first8=Ben M. |last9=Miller |first9=Craig A.|last10=Procter|first10=Jonathan N. |last11=Pure |first11=Leo R. |last12=Townsend |first12=Dougal B. |last13=White |first13=James D. L. |last14=Wilson |first14=Colin J. N. |date=2021-05-02 |title=Ruapehu and Tongariro stratovolcanoes: a review of current understanding |journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics |language=en |volume=64 |pages=389–420 |doi=10.1080/00288306.2021.1909080 |issue=2–3 |s2cid=235502116 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021NZJGG..64..389L |hdl=10468/11258 |hdl-access=free }}{{rp|loc=section:Pre-volcanic (basement) geology}}</ref> The magma reservoir is about {{cvt|5|km}} deep although other historic Tongariro vents to the south had much deeper magma sources.<ref>{{cite journal|title =Variable magma reservoir depths for Tongariro Volcanic Complex eruptive deposits from 10,000 years to present|last1 =Arpa|first1 =M.C.|last2 =Zellmer|first2 =G.F.|last3 =Christenson|first3 =B.|last4 =Lube|first4 =G.|last5 =Shellnutt|first5 =G.|year =2017|journal =Bulletin of Volcanology|volume =79|at =56|doi =10.1007/s00445-017-1137-5|doi-access =free|bibcode =2017BVol...79...56A}} </ref>

== Recent activity ==
[[File:Mount Ngauruhoe in eruption, 1909 (21041945793).jpg|thumb|right|Mount Ngauruhoe in eruption, 1909]]
Ngauruhoe was New Zealand's most active volcano in the 20th century with 45 eruptions, the most recent in 1977.<ref name=gvp/><ref name="VGT" /> [[Fumarole]]s exist inside the inner [[Volcanic crater|crater]] and on the rim of the eastern, outer crater. Climbers who suffer from [[asthma]] may be affected by the strong sulphurous gases emitted from the crater.

[[File:Ngauruhoe top.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photo of Mount Ngauruhoe's crater.]]
A significant increase in earthquake activity in May 2006 prompted the [[Volcanic Alert Level|alert level]] to be raised from zero (typical background activity, no signs of significant unrest) to one (signs of volcano unrest). Over the next two years [[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]] recorded an average of 5 to 30 earthquakes a day close to Ngauruhoe, though the maximum daily number was as high as 80.

After mid-2008, the number of volcanic earthquakes close to Ngauruhoe declined to the background level. Regular measurements of volcanic gas levels and the temperature of a summit gas vent failed to record any significant changes over the subsequent two and a half years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/alert-bulletins/index.html|title=GNS Alert Bulletin|publisher=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]]|accessdate=24 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211022925/http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/alert-bulletins/index.html|archive-date=11 December 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
GNS Science accordingly reduced the alert level for Ngauruhoe to Level 0 on 2 December 2008. “The reduction in earthquake activity means that an eruption in the near future is unlikely without further earthquakes or other changes and the appropriate alert level is therefore zero”, said GNS Science Volcano Section Manager Gill Jolly.

An increase in seismic activity in March 2015 resulted in the alert level being raised to Level 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=13664264|title=Volcanic Alert Bulletin NGA-2015/01 – Ngauruhoe Volcano|publisher=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]]}}</ref> The anomalous activity was deemed to have subsided after three weeks, and the alert level was lowered back to Level 0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://info.geonet.org.nz/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=13926404|title=Volcanic Alert Bulletin NGA-2015/03 – Ngauruhoe Volcano|publisher=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]]}}</ref>

Despite these potential indicators, some geologists speculate that activity may have permanently shifted away from the mountain, as the current dormancy is by far the longest in the volcano's relatively short history, and recent eruptions from the parent Tongariro volcanic complex have all been further north.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

== Climbing ==
[[File:Mount ngauruhoe.JPG|thumb|upright|Ngauruhoe seen from across Tongariro's South Crater. The usual route up the mountain is visible on the right.]]
The mountain is usually climbed from the western side, from the Mangatepopo track. In summer the climb is difficult due to the loose [[tephra]] that gives way underfoot. In the summer of 2010 a climber was seriously injured by falling rock. In winter, snow consolidates the tephra. After rain, the snow may be covered by ice which is treacherous. Ice axes, crampons and ropes are recommended in midwinter. Between March and October the mountain is subject to sudden violent wind gusts and snow storms with the temperature dropping well below freezing.
[[File:Scramblers up Mt. Ngauruhoe.jpg|thumb|left|Scramblers up Mt. Ngauruhoe.]]

There is also a route from the northern side which cuts across the lava flows in the Mangatepopo valley from the Mangatepopo hut. This route is far longer with no flat areas. On reaching the summit, climbers can circumnavigate the crater and descend the normal eastern route.

During the closure of the central part of the Mt. Tongariro one day walk, due to volcanic activity, climbing Mt. Ngauruhoe became a popular alternative. At Easter 2013 four climbers were injured in separate incidents. Two of the accidents were due to congestion on the normal eastern route to the crater when a climber caused loose rock to hit another climber below. All the injured had to be rescued by helicopter.<ref>Waikato Times.1 April 2013.</ref>

The [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]] has asked trampers not to climb the mountain, out of respect for its [[Tapu (Polynesian culture)|tapu]] (sacred) nature.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/97909833/trampers-told-not-to-climb-tongariro-crossings-mount-doom|title =Trampers told not to climb Tongariro Crossing's Mount Doom|date =16 October 2017|accessdate=16 February 2022}}</ref>

== Film appearances ==
In 1974, as part of a promotional campaign for his sponsor [[Moët & Chandon]], champion skier [[Jean-Claude Killy]] was filmed skiing down the previously unskied eastern slope of the mountain. The average slope on this side of the volcano is 35 degrees, and Killy was caught on radar skiing more than {{convert|100|mph|abbr=off}}. As he fell on the first run, he did the descent twice. He used helicopters to access the mountain top when the last eruption had been the day before and an eruption occurred at the end of his final run.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=5 June 2022|date=26 November 2010|publisher=Skitheworld.com|title=Outskiing a Volcano|url=https://skitheworld.com/2010/11/outskiing-a-volcano/}}</ref>

Mount Ngauruhoe was used as a stand-in for the fictional [[Mount Doom]] in [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]], achieving worldwide exposure.<ref>[[Brian Sibley|Sibley, Brian]]. ''The Making of the Movie Trilogy The Lord of the Rings'', [[Houghton Mifflin]] (2002).</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Volcanoes/New-Zealand-Volcanoes/Ngauruhoe |title=Ngauruhoe |author=GNS Science |author-link=GNS Science |date=25 March 2015}}</ref>

== Climbing history ==
The first recorded ascent by a European was by [[John Carne Bidwill|John Bidwill]] in March 1839, the ascent being from the north-west. He reported that “The crater was the most terrific abyss I ever looked into or imagined … it was not possible to see above 10 yards into it from the quantity of steam which it was continually discharging”.

{{wide image|Tongariro02.jpg|1000px|Panorama of Mount Ngauruhoe and surroundings as seen from [[Mount Tongariro]], with [[Mount Ruapehu]] in the background.}}

== See also ==
* [[List of volcanoes in New Zealand]]
* [[Volcanism in New Zealand]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons and category|Mount Ngauruhoe}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060615192842/http://data.geonet.org.nz/geonews/sab/ Official NZ Reports]
* [http://geonet.org.nz/volcano/info/ngauruhoe/camera/ngauruhoe Volcano camera]
* [http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/national-parks/tongariro/ Department of Conservation Tongariro National Park]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080420103041/http://www.nztopoonline.linz.govt.nz/ New Zealand Topo Online]

{{Tongariro National Park}}
{{Tolkien tourism|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngauruhoe, Mount}}
[[Category:Active volcanoes]]
[[Category:Mountains of Waikato]]
[[Category:Tongariro Volcanic Centre]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Waikato|Mount Ngauruhoe]]
[[Category:Tongariro National Park]]