NEW ZEALAND:A crater lake on a New Zealand volcano used as a backdrop in the Lord of the Ringsfilms is on the verge of collapsing and could send a torrent of muddy water down the mountain in coming weeks.
Melting snow on Mount Ruapehu has filled the lake to within 1.5 metres of its lip, according to the New Zealand Heraldnewspaper.
The 2,797-metre volcano is the highest mountain on North Island and home to two commercial ski slopes.
Scientists say a lahar, or mudflow composed of volcanic material and water, is inevitable as warm summer weather causes the snow to melt and fill the lake.
"It is still expected the earliest the dam might start collapsing to create a lahar down the Whangaehu river is February/ March," the Heraldquoted a department of conservation official as saying.
On December 24th, 1953, a lahar rushing down the Whangaehu destroyed a railway bridge, causing a passenger train to plunge into the river, killing 151 people on board.
Since then, a barrier of boulders and gravel has been built to divert any lahar flowing into the river. No major towns would be in its path.
Mount Ruapehu, which last erupted in 1995 and 1996, creating the present crater dam, is in Tongariro National Park, where Peter Jackson filmed some scenes for his Lord of the Rings.
Despite their heavy, concrete- like consistency, the lahars can build up as much speed as a fast- flowing river and have been measured at 30-50km/h.