Hikers told to avoid Lord of the Rings' 'Mount Doom'
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 7:00 PM - Authorities are telling movie fans and hikers to avoid New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu -- a volcano made famous by the Lord of the Rings film franchise -- with the giant crater starting to show signs of an upcoming eruption.
Volcanologist Brad Scott told the Guardian there are "signs of life" at the volcano, prompting the monitoring service GNS Science to raise the alert for the mountain, which last erupted in 2007.
The current alert sits at "heightened unrest". It was previously listed as "moderate."
New Zealand's Department of Conservation has warned the public to avoid the summit hazard zone.
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Mount Ruapehu has become a huge tourist draw after it was featured in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It is located in Tongariro National Park.
Ruapehu is the largest active volcano in New Zealand with three major peaks: Tahurangi (2,797 m), Te Heuheu (2,755 m) and Paretetaitonga (2,751 m). It began erupting 250,000 years ago.
Sources: Flickr | The Guardian
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