By NOEL MURPHY
A VOLCANIC eruption in the Geelong region would expose a serious lack of disaster planning, according to a Melbourne University earth scientist.
Professor Bernie Joyce said emergency services were poorly prepared for a volcanic eruption anywhere across the geologically-volatile southwest of Victoria from Geelong to the South Australian border.
Recent studies have suggested new volcanic eruptions in the region at any time.
Prof Joyce, who has identified Anakie as a likely site, told the Independent an eruption could well be overdue.
Scientists this week warned of volcanoes on the western reaches of the Victoria’s Newer Volcanic Precinct (NVP) erupting virtually without warning.
Prof Joyce said Geelong was less likely to face an immediate volcanic threat but he issued a similar caution.
“Little warning of an eruption would be expected,” he said.
“Minor seismic activity with small earthquakes might precede the eruption by some weeks and there could also be minor uplift or subsidence of the ground surface and perhaps changes in ground temperature and the exhalation of volcanic gases and steam.
“Australian volcanologists agree that further eruption is possible and may well be overdue. A future eruption would not be the renewal of activity at an existing volcano but the initiation of a new volcano.”
The Geelong and southwest regions feature prominently in the NVP, with 400 volcanoes peppered across the landscape, about a dozen of which have been active in the past 20,000 to 30,000 years.
Dormant volcanoes close to Geelong include Mts Duneed, Moriac and Pollock.
Prof Joyce said volcanic activity might last weeks, months or even years after an eruption.
Successive eruptions might occur near an initial eruption site if vents were clustered, affecting a wider area for a longer period.
Fume activity and minor gas and ash eruption could continue for many years.
Prof Joyce said he had spoken with the State Emergency Service about contingency plans for a volcano eruption but received little response.
“The effect on infrastructure would include blocking rivers, cutting railways, electricity, gas supplies – they’d all be affected,” he said.
“You’d need to do things that need expertise; there would be fires, new settlements and the whole thing would go on for years and would be disruption but a great tourist attraction.
“There’s already an interest among geotourists and an active volcano would be an attraction to some tourists.”
