Graham Leonard
Graham Leonard: New Zealand's B-list volcanoes
New Zealand's volcanoes are world renowned, and most Kiwis are familiar with our big ones such as Ruapehu, Taranaki and Tarawera. But what about our lesser talked about volcanoes? GNS Science… Audio
Volcanologist Graham Leonard: all about ash
The plumes of ash that can accompany volcanic eruptions are spectacular, but often damaging, in multiple and surprising ways. Most people think what comes out is like fire ash, but volcanic ash is… Audio
The natural hazards in your neighbourhood
GNS principal scientist Graham Leonard looks into why we choose to live where we live, and what the risks are. Graham has recently taken over at GNS as Natural Hazards and Risk Theme Leader. He talks… Audio
Graham Leonard: how prepared are we for a tsunami?
Long or Strong - Get Gone! - most of us know this advice on when to evacuate due to tsunami risk following an earthquake, but if it happened would we actually act? Surveys suggest around a third of… Audio
Volcanologist Graham Leonard: the magma under Auckland
Auckland's iconic landmarks Mount Eden, One Tree Hill, and Rangitoto are all evidence of the 360 km2 volcanic field that lies beneath our largest city. The field has erupted at least 53 times in the… Audio
Supervolcano unrest under Lake Taupo
About 1800 years ago a powerful super-eruption of the Taupo volcano resulted in a plume of ash that coated lakeside areas in tens of metres of pumice and ash and a lava flow that spread up to 90… Audio
Fire vs ice: volcanologist Graham Leonard on Tongariro
Ruapehu, the largest active volcano in Aotearoa, and its neighbour Tongariro, are iconic mountains in the central North Island. They don't look like most other New Zealand volcanoes though - their… Audio
Volcanology Conference
Co-convenor and Principal Scientist at GNS Science Graham Leonard joins us to talk about why more than 900 volcanologists and earth scientists from 41 countries have gathered in Rotorua this week. Audio
Cluster of quakes prompt tsunami alerts around Aotearoa
Friday morning got off to a shaky start, and there was little respite for thousands of coastal residents who were sent scrambling for the hills.
There were three significant quakes - the first… Video, Audio
Uncertainty over what Whakaari volcano will do next - GNS
The night after Whakaari White Island erupted, heavy rainfall combined with ash, creating a sediment wave that likely flushed the bodies of the two missing victims down a stream into the ocean.
Local… Audio
Whakaari/White Island: GNS says volcano still volatile
Experts from GNS science are still advising police on the recovery operation on Whakaari/White Island.
There have been no further eruptions since Monday's fatal blast, but the situation is still… Audio
Whakaari White Island's ongoing volatility being monitored
GNS Senior Volcanologist Graham Leonard, who is monitoring Whakaari, says sympathies lie with the families of those who haven't been returned. He says the volatility of the volcano at the moment means… Audio
Tsunami warnings for Pacific quakes in NZ
Yesterday the Ministry of Civil Defence was on standby for a possible tsunami threat after a magnitude 7 earthquake hit the Kermadec Islands. The Kermadecs are a chain of volcanic islands around 900… Audio
ECLIPSE - getting ready for a supervolcano eruption
An $8-million research programme to better understand the Taupo supervolcano and prepare the community for an eruption has just begun. Audio
Decoding Auckland's Volcanic Past
Two new studies to decode Auckland's volcanic past have been published, and they show volcanic activity was quite temperamental. At one stage several large eruptions happened within 4,000 years… Audio
Testing Volcanic Ballistics with a Cannon and Catapult
Geologists are using a cannon, a trebuchet and silly putty wrapped in condoms to investigate volcanic ballistics and better understand volcanic eruptions Video, Audio
Volcanic Eruption Detection System on Mount Ruapehu
The eruption detection system on Mount Ruapehu is designed to quickly warn people on the Whakapapa ski field to move to high ground out of the path of dangerous lahars Audio
Tsunami Hazard Report
Tsunami hazards for New Zealand were recently revised based on new knowledge about very large earthquakes on plate boundaries Audio
Tsunami Hazard Report
Tsunami hazards for New Zealand were recently revised based on new knowledge about very large earthquakes on plate boundaries Audio
Tsunamis could be up to 50 percent bigger
Tsunamis could be up to 50 percent bigger and far more destructive in some parts of the country than previously thought. Audio