New Zealand Tectonics and Geomorphology

University of Michigan, 2017

Our trip was a success! We explored some of New Zealand’s best field locales for studying active processes and associated natural hazards. Along with field projects involving neotectonic and structural mapping, glacial geomorphology, and volcanic stratigraphy, we looked at a history of natural hazards in New Zealand, sustainable energy resources, and Maori cultural perspectives on Earth science. We will be talking with world-leaders in these fields of research. Our stops included:

  • Tarawera Falls
  • Rotorua Geothermal area and Te Mihi power plant
  • Tongariro National Park and site of the 1953 Tangiwai train disaster
  • Landslides and faults of the TVZ
  • Kaikoura Peninsula uplifted marine terraces
  • Paparoa Core Complex and Westport Tertiary stratigraphy
  • Alpine Fault (one of the fastest slipping continental faults on Earth)
  • Temperate valley glaciers in the western Southern Alps
  • Active reverse faults and deformed river terraces in the eastern Southern Alps
  • Landslide hazards in the Otago Schist
  • The Humps Fault Zone (surface-rupturing fault in the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake)
  • Christchurch Port Hills and earthquake-related hazards