The Southern Alps (Canterbury) EarthCache
Hidden : 1/26/2010
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

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The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. It forms a natural dividing range along the entire length of the South Island. The term "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it.

Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest point at 3,754 metres (12,320 ft). There are 16 other points in the range that exceed 3,000 metres in height. A large proportion of the range is protected as part of various national parks, notably the Westland National Park, Mount Aspiring National Park, and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. According to an inventory conducted in the late 1970s, the Southern Alps contained over 3000 glaciers larger than a hectare, the largest of which – the Tasman Glacier – is 29 kilometres in length.

The Southern Alps were named by Captain Cook on March 23, 1770, who described their "prodigious height. They had previously been noted by Abel Tasman in 1642, whose description of the South Island's west coast is often translated as "a land uplifted high".

The Southern Alps lie along a geological plate boundary, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, with the Pacific Plate to the southeast pushing westward and colliding with the northward-moving Indo-Australian Plate to the northwest. Over the last 45 million years, the collision has pushed up a 20 km thickness of rocks on the Pacific Plate to form the Alps, although much of this has been eroded away. Uplift has been fastest during the last 5 million years, and the mountains continue to be raised today by tectonic pressure, causing earthquakes on the Alpine Fault. Despite the substantial uplift, most of the relative motion along the Alpine Fault is sideways, not vertical.

Because of its orientation perpendicular to the prevailing westerly winds, the range creates excellent wave soaring conditions for glider pilots. The town of Omarama, in the lee of the mountains, has gained an international reputation for its gliding conditions. The prevailing westerlies also create a weather pattern known as the Nor'west arch, in which moist air is pushed up over the mountains, forming an arch of cloud in an otherwise blue sky. This weather pattern is frequently visible in summer across Canterbury and North Otago. The 'Nor'wester' is a foehn wind similar to the Chinook of Canada, where mountain ranges in the path of prevailing moisture laden winds force air upwards, thus cooling the air and condensing the moisture to rain, producing hot dry winds in the descending air lee of the mountains.

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To log this EarthCache, you must do the following and email us the results. You can go ahead and log your find, (ie. you don't need to wait for permission) but if we don’t think you have honestly completed the required tasks we will delete your log (after emailing you first of course):

1)The nearest sign to GZ, tell me the first 2 words on it

2)Take a altitude meter reading with your gps - email me the altitude at GZ

3)Facing due west, how many mountain peaks can you see?

4)Take a photo of yourself with gps.

Please email me this info, please DO NOT post it with your log. Just post your photo.

 Special thanks to Team Chelmo for the inspiration for this cache.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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