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Volcanic architecture of the Taranaki Volcanic Lineament, New Zealand: Insights from LiDAR-based terrain analysis

Szabolcs Kósik

  • Affiliations: 1Horizons Regional Council, Palmerston North, New Zealand; 2Department of Physical Geography, Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 169

  • Programme No: 3.5.28

  • Theme 3 > Session 5

Abstract

The Taranaki Peninsula is characterised by the andesitic volcanic structures of the Taranaki Volcanic Lineament and its associated ringplain, which extends over 50 kilometres in diameter onshore. The subaerial volcanic edifices, including remnants such as Paritutu and the Sugar Loaf Islands, are arranged in a northwest-southeast alignment, with volcanic activity progressively younger toward the southeast. While Mt Taranaki has been dormant since 1790, most of its modern edifice was constructed over the past 7,000 years. Its ring plain, however, documents over 200,000 years of volcanic history, featuring deposits from eight large debris avalanches, along with lahars, block-and-ash flows, and ash falls. The recently captured 1-meter resolution LiDAR elevation data provides an opportunity to enhance our understanding of these volcanoes' geomorphology and volcanic architecture. Terrain analysis revealed four previously unidentified satellite vents on the Pouakai and Taranaki edifices, alongside a buried vent 6 kilometres northeast of Taranaki's summit. Additionally, our study uncovered evidence of an older, larger, and more eroded edifice with a slightly more easterly centre compared to the current summit area of Pouakai. The analysis also focused on the architecture of the Mt Taranaki edifice, including the rate of dissection, valley density, and morphometry of the planezes, to reconstruct the location and height of earlier edifices. This analysis indicates that the present summit has shifted approximately 800 metres to the west compared to the previous edifices. These findings, combined with a targeted dating campaign, could significantly enhance volcanic hazard assessments for potential future eruptions.