News
On this page:
- Slow Earthquakes disCovered Deep Beneath the Alpine Fault
- Student Field-trip to Nelson Lakes National Park
- Launch of Master of Geographic Information Science (MGIS)
- Student Wins Best Poster in the Earth Science's Group
- Malaysian Delegation Visits School
- Human Geography Graduate Offered Research Position
- 'Wellington Rocks' Field Trip
- Institute of Geophysics Hosts Workshop
- Opening Doors
- Aeolian Research Helps Understand Climate Change
Slow Earthquakes disCovered Deep Beneath the Alpine Fault
23 May 2012
Victoria University scientists have discovered that slow, creeping earthquakes take place deep beneath the Alpine Fault on the South Island’s West Coast, which is regarded as New Zealand’s most hazardous fault line.
Scientists have been puzzled for decades by an apparent absence of earthquakes in the central section of the Alpine Fault, between Fox Glacier and Whataroa Valley 50km to the north.
But a study led by Victoria University Geophysics Professor Tim Stern has shown the area often experiences seismic tremor, or a series of slow, creeping earthquakes that each last up to 30 minutes.
Professor Stern says that the seismic tremor is located at depths of 20 to 45 kilometres whereas regular earthquakes are mainly confined to the top 10 kilometres of the Earth’s crust.
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It’s only the second time that this type of seismic activity has been recorded on a strike-slip fault, which are those with walls that move sideways rather than up or down. The other is the San Andreas Fault in California.
A member of the team, Dr Aaron Wech, who had previously researched seismic tremor in the United States, says these slow earthquakes don’t cause damage but knowing they are happening sheds new light on activity in the Alpine Fault.
"Our research shows that between large earthquakes, the fault is still moving. It’s not yet clear what this means for future earthquakes – it could be that constant tremor builds up stress and may trigger a major fault movement or, alternatively, the activity may decrease the likelihood of a major quake by acting as a release valve for stress.
"What’s important is that we find out more about these tremor events, such as where they happen and how often, so we can better predict the hazard the Alpine Fault poses."
Professor Stern says the research, which received a $700,000 Marsden grant, was carried out in one of New Zealand’s toughest environments.
PhD candidate Carolin Boese led the field work which involved drilling holes up to 100 metres deep and installing sensors in them which vibrate when an earthquake takes place.
An array of 11 stations, called the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array - or SAMBA - were installed in late 2009 and are still producing data. To date, SAMBA has recorded around 2,500 small earthquakes which are taking place in a 30 kilometre-wide area under the Southern Alps, rather than on the Alpine Fault.
The challenges faced by Carolin and her assistants in installing and maintaining the stations included rain, snow, extreme temperature variations and strong winds. They also had to cope with mountainous terrain – it took 12 hours to hike to and from one of the least remote sites – and constant interest in the equipment from native keas.
The research findings have been published today in a top-rated American journal, Geophysical Research Letters, which specialises in short papers on recent and important discoveries.
Professor Stern says the team hopes to expand SAMBA by adding new sites to record more small earthquakes and also to measure the seismic tremor over a longer period.
"A better understanding of these tremor events could provide vital clues in our understanding of both faults and earthquakes," he says
Student Field-trip to Nelson Lakes National Park
3 May 2012
Imagine participating on an interdisciplinary student fieldtrip in the northern most Southern Alps that offers tranquil beech forest, spectacular mountain scenery and crystal clear lakes. That was the reality for around 140 ENVI/BIOL students recently who embarked this year on one of two 7-day field trips to Nelson Lakes National Park during the Easter mid-semester break.
Picturesque lunch-stop en-route to the top of Mt Robert – all part of the field-trip experience (Photo: BVA).
The aim of the Ecology & the Environment course (ENVI/BIOL-222), jointly coordinated by Kevin Burns (SBS) and Brent Alloway, was to demonstrate relationships between the physical environment and ecosystems in the Nelson Lakes area.
This field-trip was an amalgam between biological and earth science disciplines intended to highlight the intertwined linkages. Here, students were introduced to a stunningly picturesque landscape sculptured by tectonics, Quaternary glaciations and contemporary geomorphic processes while at the same time having easy access to a diversity of forest to alpine flora and fauna. This reflected NZ’s biotic isolation and unique adaptation since the breakup of Gondwanaland.
After going through a series of exercises that familiarise the students with both landscape & biotic elements of the local environment, the students organised themselves into small working groups and embarked on their own research projects– accompanied and supervised of course by staff and teaching associates.
Research project topics ranged from stream/forest invertebrates, bird behaviour and niche partitioning, modified feeding behaviour of long-finned eels, seed dispersion effected by Alpine Wetas, distribution of honey-dew scale insects, forest song-scapes, vegetation patterns across active fans, soil chronosequencing on glacial landforms, Wairau fault mapping and section and/or sediment core paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
At the end of each week, each student group gave a formal 10-minute research presentation that outlined the objectives of their particular study as well as their preliminary results. The general high standard was a testament to the way that the student groups embraced their particular topics.
This field trip will be taking place again in 2013, so interested students will need to enrol in ENVI/BIOL-222 for 2013.
Launch of Master of Geographic Information Science (MGIS)
1 May 2012
Mapping the locations of deciduous and coniferous trees in New Zealand, highlighting areas that are seen by CCTV or identifying suburbs with high crime are just some of the possibilities of geographic information systems.
Victoria University has launched the Master of Geographic Information Science, after piloting the programme last year.
"These systems are like Google Maps on steroids", says Dr Mairead de Roiste, Lecturer in Geographic Information Science.
Photo: A map image of Victoria University and the city from KiwImage, a finely detailed satellite imagery dataset for New Zealand purchased by the Library for education and research
Geographic Information Science (GIS) uses software information systems that work with geospatial data such as aerial photos and road maps. New Zealand Post for instance uses software to find the quickest way to deliver mail while the New Zealand Police use GIS to find areas that might be used for growing cannabis.
GIS can also be harnessed for understanding hazards such as where landslides are likely and what causes them, or thinking about urban expansion.
The postgraduate programme is offered by Victoria with the University of Canterbury. The qualification offers a wide variety of topical, relevant courses.
"The geospatial area is a jobs growth area and it is estimated in Australia alone there is a current shortfall of up to 4,000 positions. Similar shortages are reported in a number of countries, including the USA and are also likely in New Zealand," says Dr de Roiste.
Participation in the programme is from either Victoria or Canterbury campuses and students learn via AccessGrid videoconferencing and other online technologies.
One recent Victoria project in this area has focused on the environment and protecting sustainable farming practices on the East Coast. The research combined local, in-depth knowledge of the land with GIS visualisation tools to explore the effects of changes in land management.
Dr Bethana Jackson, a lecturer from the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, worked with Dr de Roiste and Master‘s student in Physical Geography Bridget O‘Leary on the project.
Student Wins Best Poster in the Earth Science's Group
26 April 2012
Congratulations to third year Geology student Renee Delisle on winning the prize for the best poster in the Physical Science group of the Summer Research Scholarships.
Renee worked with her supervisor Warren Dickinson to extract and measure meteoric 10Be in core and soil samples from Antarctica.
Her poster, 'Antarctic polygons; studying Mars on Earth', showed that some Antarctic polygons have very stable surfaces, despite being surrounded by active wedges
Malaysian Delegation Visits School
5 April 2012
A Malaysian delegation seeking closer ties with Victoria University and this School in particular, visited on Monday 26 March, 2012. Their interest in our programme stems from nearly two decades of research and exchange between geographers in the School of Geography Environment and Earth Sciences and Malaysia.
Malaysia is a rapidly growing and important strategic region for New Zealand.
Representing the University of Malaya was Assoc. Prof. Zahir Ahmad and Prof Yacoob Harun (ex-Chair of Malay Studies). Both these delegates were particularly keen on geography staff visiting them in Kuala Lumpur and in return for the Malay staff to spend time with us here in Wellington. This will help develop their own research capability and also foster connections with New Zealand academics. We are expecting that this arrangment will also open up avenues for our staff and graduate students to spend time in Malaysia.
The meeting was arranged by the current Chair of Malay Studies, Professor Wan Rafaei, and facilitated by Shona de Sain, Associate Dean.
Human Geography Graduate Offered Research Position
4 April 2012
On the basis of a very successful thesis Anne-Maire has accepted a research position, created specially for her, in the prestigious Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane. http://www.griffith.edu.au/health/australian-institute-suicide-research-prevention
Anne-Marie Snider graduated earlier this year with a Masters of Science in Human Geography. Her topic was concerned with well-being, or rather ill-being, and was entitled: Youth Suicide, Subjective Well-being and the Role of Place in New Zealand.
Anne-Marie's thesis looked into the ‘generational switch’. This term identifies the change in relative levels of well-being across the generations since the Second World War. This ‘switch’, she argues, is reflected in the decline in the suicide rate of older people and its rise among younger people.
Anne-Marie focused her attention on the wider social changes that engulf generations and the way they influence people. In particular, how young people perceive their circumstances relative to those of an older generation. Her thesis went on to explore the heightened sensitivity young people’s subjective wellbeing exhibit to the city context in which they live.
This student is currently in the process of completing two papers from her thesis one of which will be submitted to the geography journal, Health and Place and the other to the International Journal of Wellbeing.
Anne-Marie leaves for Australia in April. We offer her our congratulations and wish her a successful time in Brisbane.
Suicide Rates of Older Males (60 plus) and
Younger males (25-35 years). New Zealand, 1948-2007
Source: New Zealand Health Information Service
'Wellington Rocks' Field Trip
16 March 2012
Cliff Atkins and Dene Carroll recently ran a very successful VUW ‘Continuing Education’ lecture and fieldtrip called “Wellington Rocks”. Over 50 members of the public ranging from 18 to 80 were introduced to Wellington’s fantastic geology and landscape. The course aims to give people a hands-on interactive guide to ‘reading the rocks’ and interpreting the landscape. It follows similar successful (and oversubscribed) trips to the Wairarapa led by Ciff over the last few years.
Following a one hour lecture, Cliff and Dene guided the group through the city to Mt Victoria pointing out many features of the landscape including areas uplifted during the 1855 earthquake and effects of past sea-level changes. The group then followed the Wellington Fault to Harcourt Park in Upper Hutt to see offset river terraces before travelling to the Kapiti Coast to observe modern coastal processes and evidence of past sea level change before finishing at Titahi Bay with a detailed examination of well-exposed greywacke bedrock.
The participants were an interesting and interested bunch ranging from retired DSIR scientists to people with no geology background at all, but all clearly curious about our natural environment. Course assessments completed by the participants were extremely positive and their enthusiastic comments indicated a genuine interest in Earth science and high demand for future similar courses. This feedback indicates that these courses are a very effective way to engage with our community, increasing awareness of our local geology and raising the profile of Earth Science at VUW.
Institute of Geophysics Hosts Workshop
1 March 2012
On 16-17 February, Victoria University’s Institute of Geophysics (part of the School of Geography Environment and Earth Sciences), hosted a workshop on the structure of the Wellington region. There was a particual focus on the subduction interface and the Wairarapa fault.
Speakers from GNS Science, the University of Southern California, and the University of Tokyo joined Victoria University students and staff to discuss preliminary results from a joint project called the Seismic Array on the HiKurangi Experiment (SAHKE).
The 'SAHKE' project involved collecting continuous seismograms of earthquakes, background noise and air gun shots on 50 seismometers over a four month period from 2009-2010. Almost 900 seismometers were laid out again across the lower North Island from Glendhu to Kapiti in May of 2011 to record eleven explosions.
The data were combined to create detailed images of the subduction interface, using multiple methods that are all similar in scope to medical imaging.
Future work will allow rock properties to be determined from the seismic wave characteristics. These will be compared to previous similar experiments further north, to try to understand the differences between regions that are slipping smoothly compared to those that have movement released in so-called “slow earthquakes” and those such as the Wellington region that are “locked”, or “stuck”, and so are expected to rupture in earthquakes.
Opening Doors
28 February 2012
On Friday 24 February, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika), Associate Professor Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban launched 'Opening Doors'—a vital resource to support refugee-background students to successfully navigate their way through their studies and Victoria University services.
This is the first booklet of its kind nationwide, initiated by the Victoria network to support refugee-background students. She also warmly welcomed intending, new and past refugee-background students to Victoria, encouraging them to interact with our staff and students.
For more information about the booklet and recognition of refugee-background students as an equity group, contact Dr Sara Kindon, Senior Lecturer, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences on ext 6194, email sara.kindon@vuw.ac.nz.
Aeolian Research Helps Understand Climate Change
31 January 2012
Cliff Atkins is currently leading a research project involving several staff and students from the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences and the Antarctic Research Centre.
The project is focussed on understanding the importance of windblown (aeolian) dust in Antarctica. Variations in the flux of aeolian dust, sea ice extent and productivity occur through and indeed influence cycles of climatic change, so understanding these processes is important for interpreting the record of past climate preserved in drillcores and also for predicting future changes.
Dust is blown from the exposed volcanic islands and valleys in Antarctica onto the surface of sea ice and ice shelves and released into the ocean each summer. It contributes directly to sea floor sedimentation but also provides one source of the micronutrient iron to the surface waters triggering vast blooms of marine algae each summer.
The blooms are major primary productivity events that draw-down atmospheric CO2 and produce large amounts of biogenic sediment (mostly diatoms) that accumulates on the sea floor and ultimately into the stratigraphic record (e.g. ANDRILL cores).
The project is part of a larger Foundation for Research, Science and Technology funded “Past Antarctic Climate/ANDRILL NZ” program (led by Richard Levy, GNS Science) with several Antarctic field seasons having been completed. Two SGEES students are currently involved in the project. Jane Chewing is embarking on a Masters thesis based on samples supported by a Dominion Post Postgraduate scholarship and Iain Richardson is currently working as a summer research scholarship student.
The fieldwork involves travelling long distances over the sea ice and ice shelves on snowmobiles and sledges, collecting snow samples and ice cores. Some sampling involves wearing “clean suits and gloves” and using acid washed equipment and sample bottles. This is a different kind of fieldwork for Cliff who is used to working with rock outcrops and drillcores. “Despite the fact that you often can’t see the dust in the snow, we know the tiny particles of rock are there. We also know that they are an important geological factor in the biogeochemical cycles operating in Antarctica. It just goes to show how varied geological research can be”.
Cliff and Jane Chewings were interviewed by Alison Balance from Radio New Zealand while in Antarctica. To listen to the podcast read here.