Lava Bed

I was interested to find out Auckland has been built on an active lava bed. Apparently there are about 50 craters scattered around the city marking the areas volcanic history. A new one could pop-up pretty much anywhere and at anytime in the next few hundred to few thousand years.

Rugby practice inside the crater of the Pukekawa Volcano. Site of one of the earliest eruptions from the Auckland lava field dating back to around 100,000 – 150,000 years ago.

The old swimming pool built upon hardened lava on the volcanic island of Rangitoto in Auckland Bay. The area marks the most recent activity from the city’s volcanic bed at around 600 years ago.Witnessed by the local Maori, Rangitoto’s eruption created a brand new 5km wide island in the bay, with a 250m high crater at its center.

Apparently the lava field has a life of c. 1 million years or so with the eruptions getting gradually more violent. So the area’s due a few yet. Its always adds a good perspective on things to consider how delicate our civilisation actually is, it’ll probably be no more than dust in just a few geological seconds. God save us…