Plate Tectonics in New Zealand

1.

New Zealand is on both the Australian and Pacific plate. The Alpine fault runs right through the middle of the country. 

2. It is a transform boundary involving the Australian and Pacific plates. It moves about 30mm per year which is very fast by global standards. The boundary is moving southeast where there is some converging happening.

3. Mountains have pushed up on the south east part and there is a trench forming called Puysegur trench and another one called Kermadec trench.

4. Earthquakes can form near New Zealand also causing tsunamis to hit. 

5. There is a fault called the Ostler fault which goes through both New Zealand and Australia. 

Impacts of Fishing

1. Fishermen: Once all the fish are gone from the oceans they wont be able to make living off of fishing.

    Consumers: Seafood restaurants will go out of business and people who live off eating fish will have a tough time finding ways to live without it.

    Governments: People will get angry at the government and blame them for not doing anything to help save the fish and therefor could change the results of future elections.

    Environment: The way of life in oceans could change for the worst if fish species start going extinct if not endangered already.

2. In New Zealand fishing is a pretty major industry. They have over 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone which gives fishermen special nights to fish. The zone has a rich and unusually complex underwater topography. It has over 15,000 marine species are known to live there, about ten percent of the world's diversity. Many of these are migratory species, but New Zealand's isolation means also that many of the marine species are unique to New Zealand. They have ran into endangering species, but never to a critical point. Climate change has affected it by rising water levels causing some unique species to get into the lakes and invading other fish species homes. Lots of the coastal fishing towns will run out of business and not as many tourists will come to New Zealand if they loose all their unique species.

Plate Tectonics Timeline w/ Harjan

1) Before continental drift there were beliefs similar. In 1596 a Dutch map maker named Abraham Ortelius suggested that the Americas were torn away from Europe and Africa by earthquakes and floods. Then in 1912 is when Alfred Wegener resurfaced his idea.

2) The idea of continental drift was brought to life by a 32-year old German meteorologist named Alfred Lothar Wegener. He came up with the idea in 1912. Wegener stated that around 200-million years ago the supercontinent Pangaea began to break apart into what we know of the world today. Alexander Du Toit, Professor of Geology at Witwatersrand University who was one of Wegener's supporters gave the idea that Pangaea first broke into two large continental landmasses, Laurasia in the northern hemisphere and Gondwanaland in the southern hemisphere. Then they continued to break into the smaller continents of our present day. This idea wasn't accepted mainly because Wegener was a meteorologist and not a geologist, also because it seemed very unlikely and he didn't have enough evidence.

3) Alfred Wegener was also the founder of the Plate Tectonic Theory. He proposed this theory with facts in the 1960s. The shapes of many continents look like they are separated pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. The shape of the east coast of North and South America is relative to the shape of the west coast of Africa and Europe. Many fossil comparisons along the edges of continents that look like they fit together suggest species similarities that would only make sense if the two continents were joined at some point in the past. There are ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where plates are separating that are produced by lava welling up from between the plates as they pull apart. There are mountain ranges being formed where plates are pushing against each other.

4) The hotspot theory was created by Canadian geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson. The theory was formed in 1963. Wilson proposed that small, long lasting, exceptionally hot areas of magma, called hotspots, exist under the Earth's surface. These heat centers create thermally active mantle plumes, which in turn sustain volcanism. This "mid-plate" volcanism builds peaks that rise from relatively featureless sea floor, initially as seamounts as later as fully-fledged volcanic islands. In Hawaii for example, heat from this hotspot produced a persistent source of magma by partly melting the overriding Pacific Plate. The magma, which is lighter than the surrounding solid rock, then rises through the mantle and crust to erupt onto the seafloor, forming and active seamount. Over time, eruptions cause the seamount to grow until it emerges above sea level to form an island volcano. According to Wilson's theory, the Hawaiian volcanoes should be progressively older and increasingly eroded the further they are from the hotspot. As one island volcano becomes extinct, another develops over the hotspot, and the cycle is repeated. This process of volcano growth and death, over many millions of years, has left a long trail of volcanic islands and seamounts across the Pacific Ocean floor. The theory created by Wilson is widely accepted as valid.

Mining

Part A)
Strip Mining: Is an open mine which runs down to ground level and gets exposed when the rocks and soil above are moved.

Pros: - Very cheap and easy to do

         - Spacious making it easy for vehicles to move around

         - Workers are a lot safer from explosions and poisonous gases

Cons: - Removes lots of the environment, takes tons of space

          - Creates gigantic holes

          -Acids used on site can wash away and destroy the soil and environment.

Shaft Mining: Is when they excavate a tunnel to gain access to minerals.

Pros: - Produces little amount of waste and doesn't damage the environment as much

         - Earn more per profit of ores

         - Doesn't need a lot of space and easier to get a permit

Cons: - Hard to breathe with little ventilation

          - Very expensive to construct

          - A lot more hazardous in the mine

Part B)

Spouse of a miner: Would prefer strip mining a lot more because it is a lot safer and she wants her husband to be safe at work.

Owner of a mining company: Would prefer shaft mining because he would want his employees to be safe and it costs a lot less to create. 

Environmentalist: Would prefer shaft mining because it doesn't do as much damage to the environment.

Owner of nearby ski resorts: Would prefer shaft mining because you wouldn't be looking at a gaping hole coming down the mountain and there's less chance of deadly chemicals coming out into the atmosphere.

Politician: Would prefer strip mining because it is a lot cheaper and easier to sell the idea. 

Part C)

Mining is really important in New Zealand. They have abundant resources of coal, silver, iron ore, limestone and gold. There iron production is ranked 22nd and gold production is ranked 29th. In 2006 the total value of mineral production in New Zealand was $1.5 billion. 

Impact of Cliamate Change

Hydrosphere:
- The water levels have risen a bit, but can still rise a lot more causing the towns and cities along the coast to flood.
- Rising sea levels will also increase the risk of erosion and salt water intrusion.
- Snow lines and glaciers will melt causing change in water flow.
- Lower river flows in summer will raise water temperatures and aggravate water quality problems.
- Water demand will be heightened during hot, dry summers.
- In the winter there will be more intense rainfall causing flooding and flash flooding when the urban sewage drains overflow.
- River flows are likely to be lower in summer and higher in winter.
- With higher levels of water more coastal protection would be needed.

Lithosphere:
- The foundation of what buildings are built on will become softer and drier making the buildings collapse easier when wind speeds are up very high.
- Increased temperatures may reduce comfort of occupants in domestic, commercial and public buildings, and could lead to business disruption.
- Hotter summers may cause railways to buckle and rutted roads causing high expenses for repairs.
- Households may find it more difficult to access adequate insurance cover in the face of increased flood risk.
- Very likely that there would be costs associated with changing land-use activities to suit a new climate.

Atmosphere:
- When the air heats up people will be more vulnerable to illnesses such as colds and flu.
- Cyclones may become more common as well with the warmer air.
- Pests and diseases will start to spread a lot faster.
- Heat stroke and subtropical diseases will become more common.
- The risk management of potential climate change impacts may provide significant opportunities for business.
- There will be a less demand for winter heating causing those businesses to loose money.

Biosphere:
- Droughts cause water to dry up and crops and plants to die and make it a lot harder to live especially in their already tropical climate. Many plants and animals would die.
- Change of rainfall patterns have already happened and will affect plants and crops the same and cause farmers to adjust to the patterns.
- Native ecosystems may be invaded by exotic species.
- Fruit and vegetable growers may find it more expensive to insure against hail damage.
- Warmer temperatures will reduce some critical habitats, but increasing the risk of localised extinction.
- Higher level of mortality to hot temperatures.
- Increased summer drought will cause stress to dry lowland forests.
- There is likely to be an increase in demand for air-conditioning systems and therefore for electricity in summer.
- Earlier springs and longer frost-free seasons could affect the timing of bird egg-laying.
- Farming productivity will increase in some areas.
- Forests and other vegetation may grow faster.