WHAKAPAPA VILLAGE, New Zealand (Reuters) - New Zealand's Mount Ngauruhoe starred as fiery Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy Lord of the Rings, but neighboring Mount Ruapehu is the volcano scientists fear most.
A trio of active volcanoes in the center of New Zealand's North Island -- Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu and Tongariro -- form the southern tip of the "Rim of Fire," an arc of active volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean.
A simmering acidic crater lake on Mount Ruapehu, belching steam and gas that smells like rotten eggs, has been the site of more eruptions than any other crater lake in the world.
Scientists studying the lake say higher levels signal a greater chance of a mudflow, and warn that a disastrous mudslide could flow down the mountain some time between November this year and next March.
"It's a serious issue and it's preoccupied me for the past eight years," said Harry Keys, a volcanologist at New Zealand's Department of Conservation.
Mount Ruapehu's last major eruption was in June 1996. The crater lake erupted into billowing clouds of ash and steam with little warning -- less than 30 minutes after ski lifts had closed and less than 10 minutes after skiers left the crater lake's lip.
Located over the vent of the volcano and partially surrounded by permanent snow and ice, the Ruapehu's crater lake erupts every one to three years and was emptied in major eruptions in 1945 and 1995. Both times bridges were destroyed.
One of New Zealand's worst tragedies was in 1953 when the lake partially emptied on Christmas Eve, washing away a rail bridge at Tangiwai and killing 151 passengers and crew on board an express train.
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