Mount Tauhara is a dormant lava dome volcano in New Zealand's North Island, reaching 1,088 metres (3,570 ft) above sea level. It is situated in the area of caldera rim overlap of the Whakamaru Caldera and Taupō Volcano towards the centre of the Taupō Volcanic Zone, which stretches from Whakaari / White Island in the north to Mount Ruapehu in the south. It is 6 kilometres (4 mi) east of the town of Taupō, next to the northeastern shore of Lake Taupō.
Mount Tauhara seen from Lake Taupō
Image: Mount Tauhara 2549
Image: Mount Tauhara from Lake Taupo
Lake Taupō, in the centre of New Zealand's North Island, fills the caldera of the Taupō Volcano, a large rhyolitic supervolcano. This huge volcano has produced two of the world's most powerful eruptions in geologically recent times.
Recent vents and caldera structures Taupō Volcano. Present active geothermal systems are in light blue. A key to the vents is in the diagram
Oruanui eruption impact North Island in terms of approximate 10cm ash deposit (white shading) and approximate ignimbrite from pyroclastic flow (yellow shading). The central red area is the Oruanui caldera with surrounding collapse crater in lighter red. It is superimposed on present day New Zealand although at the time New Zealand land mass was larger, as sea level was much lower.
Hatepe eruption impact of a 10-cm ash deposit (white shading) and ignimbrite from pyroclastic flow (yellow shading). The collapse caldera is in light red. It is superimposed on the present day North Island.
Taupō Volcano is mainly under the large blue Lake Taupō seen from its north from low earth orbit with beyond to its south the smaller Lake Rotoaira, and the active stratovolcanoes of Tongariro and Ruapehu covered in this picture with snow.
