Kaikoura

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Kaikoura

• Tectonic Processes

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• The Seaward Kaikoura Mountains rise to over 2600
  metres just 12km from the sea.
• The Hope fault, which marks the boundary between
  the Pacific and Australian Plates, runs along the
  foot of the Kaikoura Mountains.

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Kaikoura Orogeny

• This plate collision and mountain building event
  began about 25 million year ago.
• In the Kaikoura region, movement between plates
  changes from ocean floor subduction to
  continental collision.
• As a result, blocks of land uplifted along faults
  form high mountains right at the coast, close
  inshore the sea floor dives to depths of over
  1000 metres.

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Photographs
What type of sediment is this?
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What different sediment types can be seen in this
photograph? Describe and explain the
characteristics of each type.
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Activities

• Use the Kaikoura laminated resource to create two
  annotated diagrams.
• Apply your own key.
• A sketch showing the Geology of the Peninsula.
• A cross-section diagram outlining the geological
  structure.

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Cross-section diagram
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Cross-section diagram

• This shows the four folded formations which make
  up the Kaikoura Peninsula.
• The dotted lines indicate land that has been
  eroded away.
• The large scale folds are best seen on the South
  Bay side of the peninsula or at the cliffs of
  Whalers Bay.

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Simplified geological map
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Folded limestone rocks form fascinating patterns
on the shore platforms that surround Kaikoura
Peninsula. What is limestone made of?
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• Limestone rocks consist of the shells of billions
  of micro-organisms, compressed on the ocean floor
  between 70 22 million years ago.
• Water was gradually squeezed out of the
  accumulating sediments which turned from mud to
  rock.
• About 15 million years ago the limestone was
  buckled and twisted, before being raised above
  the sea to form parts of the present land and
  coastline.

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