|
Mount Tongariro is a compound volcano in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of
the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi)
to the southwest of Lake Taupo, and is
the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the
landscape of the central North Island.
The high altitude and severe alpine climate between March and
October cause snowfall in the winter (there are commercial
ski-fields at neighbouring Mount Ruapehu)
and rain can freeze, causing verglas; in contrast in the mid to late
summer, the mountains can be bare apart from remnant patches of snow
in south-facing gullies.
Unlike nearby Mount Ruapehu, no
glaciers exist on Tongariro today. However, geomorphological
evidence in the form of moraines and cirques indicates the former
presence of mountain glaciers. |
 |
