Mount Ngauruhoe
From Free net encyclopedia
| Mount Ngauruhoe | |
|---|---|
| Image:MountTongariro.jpg Mount Ngauruhoe | |
| Elevation: | 2,291 metres (7,516 feet) |
| Coordinates: | Template:Coor d |
| Location: | North Island, New Zealand |
| First ascent: | 1839 by J. C. Bidwill |
| Last eruption: | 1977 |
| Easiest route: | scramble (summer) |
Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand. It is the youngest vent and highest peak in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago. Although seen by most as a volcano in its own right, it is technically 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 25 kilometres to the south of the southern shore of Lake Taupo.
It erupted 45 times in the 20th century, making it one of the world's most active volcanoes in that period. It last erupted in 1977. Fumaroles exist inside the inner crater and on the rim of the eastern, outer crater.
Image:Map new zealand volcanoes.gif
There are several possible explanations for the mountain's name. The most plausible is Nga Uru Hoe, meaning "throwing heated stones".
In the early 2000s Mount Ngauruhoe was used as a stand-in for the fictional Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, achieving worldwide exposure.