Taupo Volcanic center, New Zealand.
A rhyolitic eruption structure which is effectively a broad
depression rather than a stratovolcano.
What has been called an inverse volcano or ignimbrite shield.
At Taupo the average repose period for the last 50,000 years
has been about 3,000 years,
however, it has varied from a few hundred years to 16,000
years.
The great eruption of AD 186 has been studied intensively.
The total erupted volume was about 100 cubic kilometers, comprising:
24 cubic kilometers in the ultraplinian pumice fall deposit
30 cubic kilometers in the Taupo ignimbrite
20 cubic kilometers in a co-ignimbrite ash-fall.
It has been estimated that the eruption column must have risen
to a height in excess of 50 km
and lasted from 6 to 17 hours.
Airfall deposits are over 5 meters thick near the vent while
approximately 20,000 square kilometers were devastated by the ignimbrite
flow.
The souvenir cover below was issued January 9th, 1970 to celebrate
centenary of Taupo.
The next stamp was issued in 1998 to celebrate the centenary
of the original design.
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