Geology
Recent Deposits
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Tectonic geomorphology of the Rock and Pillar Range and Taieri Ridge, Otago, New Zealand
In the South Island of New Zealand, east Otago is a region of low seismicity with many potentially active faults, and profound data gaps. I use geomorphic observations, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating ... -
Middle Cenozoic unconformities in the Waihao Valley, South Canterbury Basin
This thesis presents descriptions and interpretations of stratigraphic sections in the lower Waihao Valley, southern Canterbury Basin. The aim of this reconnaissance study was to describe and interpret the age, origin and ... -
Viscoelastic finite-difference modelling of gas hydrates in the Pegasus Basin, New Zealand
Gas hydrates are ice-like, solid clathrates that trap natural gas molecules inside a lattice of water molecules. They are common constituents of continental margins, which has led to extensive studies exploring their ... -
Magnetostratigraphy and Environmental Magnetism of the RS15-LC100, RS15-GC101, RS15-GC102, and RS15-GC107 cores from the Ross Sea
The Antarctic ice sheets are sensitive to changes in ocean temperature and are predicted to retreat in the coming centuries. Geological reconstructions of ancient ice margin retreat can offer insights into the potential ... -
The nature and origin of gold mineralization at Sams Creek, north-west Nelson
Gold mineralization is hosted by a peralkaline granite dyke which outcrops over about eight kilometers in the area of Sams Creek, a tributary of the Takaka River, north-west Nelson. The granite is riebeckite and acmite ... -
Using CT and Ultrasound to Measure Sea Ice Core Structures
Sea ice is a complex, multi-layered material, who’s microscopic properties are vital for understanding its macroscopic properties and interactions with the environment. Traditional methods for studying its tructure tend ... -
The clay mineral assemblages and geology of the Mahakirau hydrothermal alteration zone, Coromandel Peninsula (NZ)
Wall clays and vein silicates from the fossil hydrothermal system at Mahakirau, Coromandel Peninsula are shown to consist of discrete mineral assemblages. Those in quartz veins are: - K-feldspar - K-mica - kaolinite K-feldspar ... -
Viscoelastic finite-difference modelling of gas hydrates in the Pegasus Basin, New Zealand
Gas hydrates are ice-like, solid clathrates that trap natural gas molecules inside a lattice of water molecules. They are common constituents of continental margins, which has led to extensive studies exploring their ... -
Morphology, phylogeny, and paleoecology of the Kekenodontidae (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand
The increasingly dense fossil record of archaeocetes (stem cetaceans) is well represented in Eocene strata from the tropics to northern mid-temperate latitudes. Fossils provisionally identified as archaeocetes from Oligocene ... -
Placer rare earth minerals in Westland Sand, New Zealand
This study investigates the presence of rare earth element (REE)-bearing minerals in placer deposits from modern beaches along the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The demand for REE is increasing, as these ... -
Sedimentology, stratigraphy and structural geology of the Burwood sub-basin, Mount Hamilton - Mararoa River area, western Southland, New Zealand
Structural and sedimentological evolution of the Burwood sub-Basin has resulted in the formation of a range of depositional environments in the Mount Hamilton - Mararoa River area in western Southland, New Zealand. The ... -
Structural controls and geochemistry of hydrothermal fluid flow in an exhumed accretionary prism, Otago Schist, New Zealand
This study examines the structural controls, geochemistry, and potential source of an ancient hydrothermal fluid-flow system within the Otago Schist, using excellent exposures at Bruce Rocks, near Dunedin, as a case study. ... -
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 ...