Geology odyssey through New Zealand

Ben DeSutter (Environmental Studies – Physical Science track, ’19) recently returned from a semester in New Zealand!  Here’s what he had say near the end of his trip:

“My time in New Zealand has been an incredible experience so far. Classes have been really insightful towards New Zealand environments and geology as a whole. However, my favorite part has been traveling around to see a natural beauty, as well as applying my geology skills, off the beaten path. New Zealand has much more to offer in regards to seeing geological features and processes at work than I had initially thought. We took a field trip to a gully and drew up contour maps and topographic profiles after analyzing all the sedimentary layers. There was also a very visible fault in the sandstone which was cool to see. 

Photo at top: Taken in Milford Sound.   It is actually a glacier-formed fjord, not a sound.

The Southern Alps: The alpine fault (New Zealand’s largest fault) lies somewhere between the base of the snow and bush.
Franz Josef Glacier: It recedes at a rate of 5cm a day!
Pancake Rocks: A formation of pillars and blowholes formed by alternating layers of limestone and mudstone during the Oligocene.

 


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