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The Geological Creation of New Zealand - Coggle Diagram
The Geological Creation of New Zealand
Gondwana To Zealandia
Roughly 85 million years ago
First to Break off was Africa (170 Million Years ago), Followed by India and Madagascar (40 Million Years Later) opening the Atlantic Ocean, Which separated Africa from South America.
80 Million Years Ago, The piece of land destine to become the landmass of New Zealand broke away. Zealandia was a combination of New Zealand, Tasmania, and through to north Queensland. The separation of all parts took over 20 million years. The Tasman Sea only reached its full current state 60 Million years ago. Source: visitzealandia
The Breakup of Gondwana took places in stages starting around 180 Million years ago when the Western half split from the Eastern half.
By 55 million years ago New Zealand's mass had traveled and settled 2,000km away from Australia, in a very similar location to where it is today.
Caused by tectonic activity.
Refrences:
https://www.visitzealandia.com/About/History/The-Continent-of-Zealandia
Gondwana originally formed and was fully grown by the late Precambrian time 600 million years ago. It was also acknowledged that the early stages of this separation began in the early Jurassic Period. Gondwanaland discovered and claimed by an Austrian Geologist named Eduard Suess, who had noticed and observed Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations that appeared in regions of central India had also been observed in parts of the Southern Hemisphere and originated of a similar age to the formations shown in Central India.
However, this only proved the connection of India to some parts of the Southern Hemisphere. It wasn't until 1620 when maps of the New World were much more accessible. Francis Bacon noticed that South America and West Africa shared matching coastline shaped. Although, the concept that all southern hemisphere continents were connected were only set forwards and into motion by a German Meteorologist, Alfred Wegener, in 1912. He had the vision of a single supercontinent landmass called Pangea, of Which Gondwana was the southern part of the continent.
The Concept was then later developed and expanded on by Alexander Du Toit, a South African Geologist, in his book "Our Wandering Continents" in 1937. Theories have continued to be proven and expanded on since this date.
Plate Tectonics and Mountain Building (Kaikoura Orogeny)
The New Zealand southern alps are one of the fastest growing mountain ranges in the world.
This is proven by the dislocation and movement of riverbeds shown across that has been shown over the pass 10,000 years. Some sources believe that the uplift of the Southern alps is anywhere between 10-15 millimeters per year.
Considering there has no major earthquakes on the Southern alps in over 300 years, the continuous growing rate of these peaks is unusual.
New Zealand is placed on the Pacific and Australian fault line. When these two plates collide, it creates incredible amounts of pressure, forcing the land upwards, in doing so it creates the mountain ranges of New Zealand.
According to 3. New. (2019). How mountains form. Govt.nz.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/mountains/page-3
" The total uplift in the Aoraki/Mt Cook region during the past two to three million years could be as much as 20,000 Meters"
Looking elsewhere from the southern alps, such as Kaikoura, the uplift rate is much more expected, with only 5 millimeters a year observed on the west side of the Southern Alps, and noticeably observed in Kaikoura too.
Creation of Limestone
Limestone can be used as a tectonic marker for geologists. The geochemistry of Limestone helps provided clues into the tectonic setting it was formed in.
Passive margins, Active margins, and Oceanic basins
Volcanic Activities, and Ice ages
"Each major earthquake has an effect on the land - for example, in 1855 the coastline of Wellington Harbour was uplifted 1.5 metres. Every volcanic eruption changes our surface, there is simply nothing permanent in geological time."
https://www.gns.cri.nz/our-science/land-and-marine-geoscience/geology-of-new-zealand/
New Zealand's dynamic Landscape