White Island is a volcanic island located off the shore of the North Island of New Zealand. On the island, there are a number of crater lakes, including this massive one. It is very colorful, and has white steam coming off of it. This lake is not made up of water that you would find in a typical lake, but is instead hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. The pH of this lake is -0.6, which is much less the pH 2, which is the pH of digestive juices in your stomach. The lake would literally digest you if you were to touch it. The lake fluctuates a lot in both height and temperature. It will randomly drop or rise in level, and is constantly fluctuating about 30 degrees. There is a major fear that if the water level of the lake were to rise to above the crater rim, it would spill out and down to the ocean. This would ruin the marine environment in the harbors and could have serious consequences. The landscape on the island changes so rapidly that it is unclear what the lake and its surroundings will do at any given time.
Mud Pool
This mud pool is located in the Wai-O-Taupo (sacred water) geothermal area, in Rotorua. In this area, geothermal heat is coming up from the Hikurangi Trough, where the Pacific plate is diving under the Australian plate. The mud bubbling causes a funny pooping sound due to concentration of water. It gives off the smell of sulfur, which is similar to rotting eggs. This mud pool phenomenon is caused by magma below the surface, which heats up water. This hot water is less dense, so it rises to the surface and bubbles up through the mud. The mud is made up of volcanic ash and glass. This volcanic material, which has piled up over time, alters to clay with the addition of hot water and shrinks when water is removed from it. This clay is expandable when heat is added and is called smectite. It is sticky and gluey, and can be used as a form of soap, or for facemasks, making it a popular beauty item.
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