The Wellington Fault is one of several large active faults in the lower North Island of New Zealand. From the Tararua Mountains and Kaitoke it runs the length of the Hutt Valley, the edge of Wellington Harbour, through Tinakori in the City and across the hills to Cook Strait. Earthquakes occur on the Wellington Fault […]
Where to explore the Wellington Fault Read More »
Mangere Mountain, L. Homer / GNS Science Volcanic cones, explosion craters and lava flows form much of Auckland’s natural topography. All of these, apart from one (Rangitoto Island) are from vents that erupted once only (monogenetic), with eruptions lasting a few weeks or months and then ceasing completely. There are many accessible and beautiful locations
Tasman Glacier Lake, J.Thomson / GNS Science New Zealand is an isolated country with a very active plate boundary running right through it. For a relatively small landmass it has an astonishing variety of landscapes and is being continuously subject to dramatic physical occurrences that include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, rapid erosion and sedimentation.
GeoTrips – visiting New Zealand’s geology and landforms Read More »
This is a classic view of the Southern Alps from Lake Matheson on a still morning, showing the high peaks of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook.The Alpine Fault runs along the foot of the steep rangefront, extending right up the West Coast of the South Island. The mountains are therefore part of the Pacific Plate
Stepping Over the Boundary Read More »
A visit to Fox Glacier shows that changes over the last 5 years are similar to those at the Franz Josef Glacier. Here is a view of the Fox Glacier front in 2009: And this year (March 2014): The terminal face from another angle in 2009… …and as it was recently in 2014. The grass
Franz Josef Glacier 2009 – Julian Thomson GNS Science Recently I visited the West Coast Glaciers and was interested to see their condition after my last visit 5 years ago in 2009. Franz Josef 2009- Photo Eric Burger These photos give and immediate comparison of Franz Josef Glacier over the last 5 years: In 2009 the
Franz Josef Ice on the Retreat Read More »
Another great geological venue on the South Taranaki coast is at the Opunake boat ramp, where we took our Geocamp participants recently. On two sides of the car park there are cliffs showing a spectacular sequence of strata. information for you to visit this spot is on our GeoTrips website here: www.geotrips.org.nz/trip.html?id=56 It’s a perfect
The South Coast of Taranaki near Hawera has extensive rocky beaches lined by high crumbling cliffs. It is a great place for geology, but you should be wary of the potential for cliff falls, especially after rain. This is the view east from the Ohawe beach access point. A first look at the cliff from
Waihi Beach Taranaki Read More »
Earlier this week I was up in Taranaki, exploring the geology of the area with two GNS Science researchers Kyle Bland and Richard Levy. One of the sites we visited was Airedale Reef, a short walk east along the coast from the mouth of the Waitara River. There are spectacular remnants of an ancient forest
Earlier this week I decided to spend the night camping up on the North Crater of Tongariro. This is the large flat crater that is off to the north and west of the main track of the Tongariro Crossing. For access information have a look at the GeoTrip page here: www.geotrips.org.nz/trip.html?id=279Here is a view across
Tongariro North Crater Read More »