Volcano in NZ's largest city erupts

**Hepcat** · 11-15-2007, 10:00

Or not.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/413551/1448304

There's been a completely stupid publicity stunt done by Mark Ellis without any warning at all. There's been quite a bit of confusion today when people thought that the volcano actually was erupting.

Personally I think he should be arrested, since he didn't have a permit, was endangering a protected forest area, and worried a lot of people.

To me, if they are arresting Maori and considering using terrorism laws against them, yet this white guy detonates 600 kilos of explosives on an island in plain view of this country's most populated city, shouldn't he at least be arrested. After all he is terrorising citizens. How pathetic.

**Prodigal** · 11-15-2007, 10:31

What's really worrying is that he got his hands on 600Kg of explosives, you'd think that in the current "climate" the authorities would take an active interest in monitoring explosives, or at least enquire what they're going to be used for.

**Fragony** · 11-15-2007, 11:00

We don't have these units here so I am not an expert, but detonating explosives on active vulcanoe's, isn't that kinda stupid?

**Hepcat** · 11-15-2007, 12:11

Originally Posted by Prodigal

What's really worrying is that he got his hands on 600Kg of explosives, you'd think that in the current "climate" the authorities would take an active interest in monitoring explosives, or at least enquire what they're going to be used for.

Not really. Auckland is far away from where all the terrorist **** is going on. And as far as I know the explosives were mostly just big fireworks and stuff designed to burn so it would look like a volcano. It'd have been great, if people had of known before hand. But instead he chose to be an idiot.

Rangitoto is the large volcano island just off the coast in this photo for those wondering how close it is to Auckland:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Sky_Tower.png

So you see that if it were billowing massive plumes of smoke lots of people in the city would be able to see it.

Originally Posted by Fragony

We don't have these units here so I am not an expert, but detonating explosives on active vulcanoe's, isn't that kinda stupid?

Not really, there are sometimes fireworks displays off volcanos here. Though we don't consider volcanos anything unusual. There are 50 volcanos in and around Auckland and quite a few around my city too. In fact my city of Rotorua is located INSIDE the crater of a volcanic eruption and has already been completely destroyed once by a volcanic eruption in 1886 then it was rebuilt in the same area.

So 'reactivating' the volcano is not one of the concerns. It's more the people of Auckland, wild life and native trees that are of concern.

**Husar** · 11-15-2007, 12:39

What a funny world, someone complains about a cheerleading cheerleader teacher and she gets thrown out of sorts and someone else scares a whole city, endangers a big, protected forest and many animals but since noone files a complaint with the police, he can go free?

**Louis VI the Fat** · 11-16-2007, 14:41

Originally Posted by Hepcat

as far as I know the explosives were mostly just big fireworks and stuff designed to burn so it would look like a volcano. It'd have been great, if people had of known before hand.

My evil side is having a right good laugh over this prank...

I get your point, it must've caused some panic and all, but, I'm sorry...a volcano, in the middle of the city, and then a lavish amount of high-tech pyrotechnics to make it look like it is exploding...

**Papewaio** · 11-19-2007, 02:34

600kg of explosives would not set off a volcano.

Major earth quakes generate more energy then nuclear devices and they don't set off volcanos.

It needs to be the correct sequence for it to go off... including having magma in the chamber... can't squeeze a pus free pimple after all... and without the magma you just have a mountain... and even with the magma it requires an enormous amount of energy to push it out... you would need to take the top off the volcano (and probably go down quite a bit) with explosives to expose the loaded magma chamber below to have it go off... also this would if anything release the pressure before critical point so at most it would bubble out in a tepid fashion...