Modelling Geophysical Precursors to the Prehistoric c. AD1305 Kaharoa Rhyolite Eruption of Tarawera Volcano, New Zealand

The ∼1305 Kaharoa rhyolite eruptive episode is the largest volcanic event(≥4 km3 magma) to have occurred in New Zealand during the last 1000 years. Proximal areas were devastated by pyroclastic flows, and tephra fell over much of the northern North Island. No eyewitness observations are recorded, but ejecta analyses show that the rhyolite eruptions were primed and triggered by basalt intrusions. This key finding, combined with observations of similar modern eruptions, has allowed construction of a conceptual scenario of the seismic and other activity that likely preceded the Kaharoa episode.