Geology
Recent Deposits
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Characterisation of coastal fjords and buried glacial valleys at the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands using high-frequency seismic data
High-resolution seismic surveying by the University of Otago has shown that the leeward side of the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands (51° 44'S, 166° 06'E) is dominated by Quaternary glacial landforms that extend offshore. ... -
Greenland group deformation and the structural controls of mineralisation within the Reefton Goldfield
Deposits of the Reefton Goldfield, West Coast, New Zealand, are hosted on N-NE striking, upright folds of the Greenland Group. High-grade quartz lodes are hosted on axial planar shears, typically have short strike lengths, ... -
Dunedin rock and roll: 3D seismic wave velocity modelling for seismic hazard analysis.
Earthquake hazards are significant in New Zealand. Many active faults are known to be close to urban areas, and damaging earthquakes have been known to occur on previously unknown faults (such as the Mw~7.1 Darfield ... -
A Multi-Basin Approach to Investigate Paleoclimate and Carbon Burial in Fiordland, New Zealand
The latitudinal position and strength of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds (SHWW) influence mid-latitude precipitation patterns and air-sea gas exchange in the Southern Ocean. Fiordland is ideally located to constrain ... -
Eruptions and deposition of volcaniclastic rocks in the Dunedin volcanic complex, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
The Otago Peninsula is part of the Dunedin Volcanic Complex and the Dunedin Volcanic Group, of Miocene age. Tephra and a suite of alkali basalt magma began erupting in the Sandfly Bay area. The Dunedin Volcanic Complex ... -
Mt. Morning, Antarctica : geochemistry, geochronology, petrology, volcanology, and oxygen fugacity of the rifted Antarctic lithosphere
Mt. Morning is a 2,732 m high, Cenozoic, alkaline eruptive centre situated in the south-west corner of McMurdo Sound in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Mt. Morning is approximately 100 km south-west of Mt. Erebus, the world's ... -
A Seismic Investigation into the Thermal and Physical Properties of the Hydrate Bearing Pukeroro Ridge, Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand
Understanding the subsurface dynamics of the world’s oceans has become more important over time due to current climate issues, hazard evaluations and an ever-decreasing abundance of resources. Fluid and heat flow processes ... -
An investigation into the characterisation of seismic traces: optimising shear wave signals with source type, orientation and survey geometry
Seismic surveys are used to create visual representations of subsurface geology by detecting the reflections and refractions of seismic waves. In most cases, the seismic wave of interest is the P-wave, the easiest wave to ... -
Petrogenesis, eruption and emplacement of the volcanic rocks at Otapahi, Otago Peninsula.
Intraplate volcanism is a globally common phenomenon that remains poorly understood. It formed the Dunedin Volcano at 16-10 Ma, with the oldest known exposures located at Otapahi, on Otago Peninsula. Investigation of the ... -
Tracing the geochemical signature of New Zealand river sediments : transport, elemental fluxes and oceanic deposition
Chemical and physical erosion processes have been investigated in a wide range of high sediment-yielding rivers from New Zealand using major and trace element data from suspended sediments and fluvial bedload grain size ... -
Two Giant Penguins from the Eocene-Oligocene of Otago, New Zealand
Two new species of giant fossil penguin from near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in Otago, New Zealand, are described. OU 22761 is from the Wharekuri Greensand of the Kye Burn upper river valley, probably from geomagnetic ... -
Andesitic glaciovolcanic interactions at Tongariro and Ruapehu volcanoes, New Zealand
Glaciers that cap or flank volcanoes have a major control on the eruption style and distribution of volcanic material. Ancient deposits that were formed by the interaction of lava and ice inform our understanding of ... -
The Water Quality and Geochemistry of Legacy Acid Mine Drainage on the Denniston Plateau, West Coast
The Eocene Brunner Coal Measures on the West Coast of New Zealand are pyritic, paired with low neutralisation capacity in the coal measures, resulting in a high acid producing potential. Historic mining located on the ... -
The structure, petrology and mechanics of a plate-boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: The Livingstone fault, New Zealand
Serpentinite-bearing shear zones are important in a range of tectonic settings, including the slab-mantle interface, oceanic detachment faults, and large-displacement transform faults in the oceanic and continental ... -
Geology of Takitimu group rocks in the Nugget Hill region, western Southland, New Zealand
An area approximately 31 km2, centered around Nugget Hill in western Southland was mapped in detail. The geology in this area is dominated by Takitimu Group lithologies which are intruded by the White Hill Intrusive Suite. ... -
The structural and metamorphic geology of the Brighton - Taieri Mouth area, east Otago, New Zealand
[…] The primary purpose of the present study is to reveal as clearly as possible the structure and stratigraphy of the pre-Cretaceous basement rocks, mainly the Otago schist, of the area, and to determine if possible the ... -
Surtseyan volcanism: case studies from Pahvant Butte and Black Point, Western USA
Shallow to emergent basaltic subaqueous explosive eruptions, here referred as Surtseyan, are a source of pyroclastic material expelled from subaqueous vents and transferred to the water column and atmosphere. They can ... -
Swinburn Volcanic Complex, Central Otago, New Zealand
Swinburn Volcanic Complex is the remnant of a Miocene volcano, forming part of the Dunedin Volcanic Group (~ 24 - 9Ma), on the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waipiata Volcanic Field, and its basalts are ... -
Mechanics of folding in central Otago : an investigation of the recent deformation of the Rock and Piller Range
Cenozoic deformation of the Central Otago Range and Basin province has been investigated to determine the mechanism of range formation. Mapping in the Rock and Pillar Range revealed macroscopic folds in schistosity which ... -
Eocene turtles and whales from New Zealand
This thesis documents eleven specimens of Eocene turtles (Reptilia: Testudines: Dermochelyidae, Cheloniidae) and seven specimens of archaeocete whales (Mammalia: Cetacea: Basilosauridae) from New Zealand. All taxa derive ...