Latest news with #NewZealandJournalofGeologyandGeophysics
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Volcano blast could smash Aussie neighbour's food supply: 'Disruption and isolation'
New modelling suggests an eruption from a giant volcano could destroy roads and bridges and leave an entire community cut off just across the ditch from Australia. New Zealand's Mount Taranaki (Taranaki Mounga) towers over 5,000 farms that are crucial in providing food to the nation, but they could all be isolated for weeks if the volcano were to blow. A satellite image shows the 2,518-metre-high peak on the west coast of the North Island surrounded by some of the properties that are home to around 126,000 people. If it were to blow, falling ash and fast-flowing volcanic material called lahar would cause significant damage to the local and national economies. The last major eruption from the North Island giant was in the mid-1600s, and the most recent volcanic activity occurred in the 1850s, creating a lava dome that eventually collapsed down its side. Over the last 130,000 years, there have been major eruptions every 500 years, and this timing has got experts considering how best to prepare for the next one. Modelling published in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics predicts a major eruption would cause multiple hazards. Up to 40 per cent of roads and 45 per cent of bridges would likely be affected, and repairs would be expected to take weeks. The snow-capped mountain is situated inside a national park, and as the North Island's second-tallest peak, it's a major tourism drawcard. Because it's been so long since a major eruption occurred, there are lush forests filled with a wide array of bird life around its base. The mountain is important in Maori culture and was declared legally a person in February. The study's co-author Dr Heather Craig from the University of Canterbury said the study has global implications because it's common for farms to be located around volcanoes as they're surrounded by fertile soil. Of particular concern to Taranaki would be the isolation of marae, cultural hubs managed by Maori communities, that provide support during disasters and have the capacity to house displaced people. The modelling suggests 12 of these important properties would be cut off. 'Many agricultural communities [are] highly exposed to volcanic impacts including road network disruption and isolation. Taranaki is an example of this, where farms, roads, marae, and communities are found on the volcanic plain surrounding the mounga,' he said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hidden treasure found on public beach: 'No one knows'
A largely ignored deposit of gold has been captured in detailed photographs for the first time. For over a century, locals on New Zealand's South Island have known their black sand beaches were littered with billions of tiny flecks of the precious metal, but there have been few attempts to extract it. Emeritus Professor Dave Craw from the University of Otago published images of the beach gold taken with an electron microscope in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics on Saturday. They will eventually be included in an atlas of beach gold deposits around the world. The price of gold has soared in recent years, with an ounce selling this week at close to $4,000. This has sparked renewed interest in discovering and exploiting untapped deposits, but there are reasons these Kiwi hotspots have never been tapped. Related: ⛏️ Aussie prospector reveals secret maps to find fortune No one knows how much gold is lying out in the open on the country's beaches, but Craw believes the cost of mining it would be prohibitive because the pieces are so small. 'It could be done, but no one has bothered,' he told Yahoo News. How much gold? No one Craw 🥚 Fragile sea creature sucked inside ship begins spawning eggs 🪐 Distant 'music' in outer space leads to new discovery 😳 Entire Aussie street living in fear of 55-kilo wild bird's 'bold behaviour' Some of the tiny particles photographed by Craw are just 10 micrometres wide and narrower than a human hair. That means, even with a pan its hard to extract because most floats to the surface of the water and is lost. There have been some small scale attempts during the depression and into the 1960s to mine West Coast gold but the work could be dangerous due to surf conditions, and extracting it was slow. 'There are probably hobbyists doing that now in places. But it's hard work, low grade, the gold is really small and hard to save, so I doubt that people will take it seriously except maybe on West Coast, especially where they are already mining sands for other reasons,' Craw said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
