New Zealand is on the border between both the
Australian-Indian Plate and the Pacific plate. The boundary between them is called the Alpine
fault. Since New Zealand is between these two plates, lots of mountains,
glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes, and oceanic trenches are formed depending on
when and how the plates shift.
Mountains, such as Aoraki/Mount Cook or Mount Tasman, were
created when these two plates converged with each other.
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| Tectonic Plate Map of New Zealand |
Volcanoes, like Mount Tongariro in New Zealand, result from
the divergence (the action of spreading apart) of these two plates. These volcanoes
are just a couple of the many volcanoes you can find in New Zealand due to the
pacific plate, where most of the worlds most active volcanoes are found due to
the ring of fire.
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| White Island Volcano (above) is one of the most active volcanoes in New Zealand. Which is also the backdrop used in Lord of the Rings |
When these plates converge they do not only make New Zealand’s
infamous mountains and volcanoes, but also can create spectacular geothermal
areas with hot springs and mud pools; these areas are also used for providing
electricity.
Because these two plates are right under New Zealand, the
island gets frequent, big earthquakes that are caused by the plates shifting
side by side; which is known as transformation. However some of the largest
earthquakes in the world are subduction earthquakes.
Unlike other parts of the world, New Zealand is special
because it sits on this border between the Australian-Indian Plate and the
Pacific plate. Thus giving it the geological experience of all three plate
boundaries: transformation, diverging, and converging.
The island of New Zealand and all the many little islands you see around it can
either be formed from the tectonic plates moving away from each other splitting
the land mass, diverging. Or they can be created from oceanic crusts colliding
with each other resulting in one plate descending (subducting) beneath another.
http://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Volcanoes/New-Zealand-Volcanoes/White-Island
