Mount Taranaki/Egmont (Volcano Week 3)

Friday, 17th October 2008 by

Mount Taranaki/Egmont is another (apparently) active stratovolcano in New Zealand, but this one hasn't done anything at all since the early 1800s when it reportedly produced "a moderate ash eruption".1

Most interestingly from our perspective is that we can clearly see how very symmetrical this volcano is. A secondary cone to the south somewhat ruins the effect, but not enough to prevent filmmakers from having used this volcano as a double for Japan's Mount Fuji in the movie The Last Samurai.

(Wikipedia, aerial photo)

Thanks to Papapenguin and Glenn.


  1. Research shows that minor eruptions have occurred here every 90 years on average, with major eruptions occurring every 500 years. So perhaps a large eruption ought to be expected soon! You know, within the next 300 years or so... ↩︎