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New Zealand
February 2000 - New Zealand straddles the juncture of the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, two of Earths major crustal plates. The two plates generally converge in subduction zones, but in a scissor-like pattern, with the Indo-Australian plate overriding the Pacific plate to the north and the Pacific plate overriding the Indo-Australian plate to the south. New Zealand is what happens in between at and near the cross point of this scissor pattern. Here the convergence has built two major islands that together exhibit very active volcanoes and fault systems, and these geologic features are very evident in the topographic pattern.
The North Island lies at the southern end of the west-over-east (Indo-Australian over Pacific) plate convergence. The Pacific plate dives under the North Island and this subduction process leads to melting of rocks at depth, the rise of magma to the surface, and the formation of volcanoes and other geothermal features. Most notable are Mount Taranaki on the west coast, and Mounts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro just south of the islands centerpoint, all of which are shown with white peaks in this display. The Rotorua geothermal field occurs further northeast and is evident here as a scattering of comparatively small bumps created by smaller volcanic eruptions.
The South Island straddles the cross point of the subduction scissor pattern and prominently features a fault system that connects the two subduction zones. (The east-over-west (Pacific over Indo-Australian) plate convergence generally occurs south of the South Island.) The Alpine fault is the major strand of this fault system along most of the length of the island, near and generally paralleling the west coast. Its impact upon the topography is unmistakable, forming an extremely sharp and straight northwest boundary to New Zealands tallest mountains, the Southern Alps. Although offsets on the Alpine fault are generally right-lateral (35-40 millimeters per year) and thus consistent with the offset in the subduction zone pattern, vertical offsets (about 7 millimeters per year) are likewise consistent with the uplift of the Southern Alps.
Two visualization methods were combined to produce this image: shading and color coding of topographic height. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction, so that northwest slopes appear bright and southeast slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations
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Media ID 13065473
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Alps Elevated Elevation Fault Geography Geology Island Land Feature Landform Landmass Mountain Mountain Range Mountainous New Zealand North North Island Pacific Pacific Ocean Relief Map South Southern Tectonics Terrain Territory Topography Mount Ngauruhoe Mount Ruapehu Mount Taranaki Mount Tongariro View From Space
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print of New Zealand, taken in February 2000, showcases the unique geological features that make this country so remarkable. Situated at the convergence point of the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, New Zealand experiences a scissor-like pattern where these two plates interact. The result is the formation of two major islands with active volcanoes and fault systems. The North Island lies at the southern end of this plate convergence, with the Pacific plate diving beneath it through subduction. This process leads to volcanic activity and geothermal features such as Mount Taranaki on the west coast and Mounts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro near the centerpoint of the island. On the other hand, the South Island straddles both subduction zones and prominently displays a fault system connecting them. The Alpine fault runs along most of its length near the west coast, forming a sharp boundary for New Zealand's tallest mountains -the Southern Alps. This stunning image combines shading and color coding techniques to depict topographic height effectively. Bright shades represent northwest slopes while dark shades indicate southeast slopes. Additionally, colors transition from green at lower elevations to white at higher elevations. Overall, this print beautifully captures New Zealand's dynamic geological landscape shaped by tectonic forces over millions of years.
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