Alpine Erosion
Alpine Trails Zone
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Massive Alpine Erosion
Frost Heave
Deposition
LimestoneWe see the mountains being torn down by frost shattering, frost heave, avalanches, screes, rock rivers and fans. We see the rivers carrying the shattered mountain remnants on to the Canterbury Plains
Studies in this zone give us a clear and interesting overview of the land cycle and most geographical factors that affect settlements.
KANES explain to interested guests the processes and forces beginning with the violent storms that regularly strike the mountain areas. We see for ourselves the movement of the shattered material being transported and impacting roads, bridges, settlements and farms. We look at ways of managing this natural process and see the effects of bad management.
Glaciation.
We learn to recognise evidence of the most powerful erosion processes of the New Zealand mountainsRivers
We encounter different rivers carving out gorges and carrying and depositing eroded mountain material that forms new plains by extending the coasts.
Frost heave
We see the effects of this process on rock rivers and soil erosion. During winter we can often see the actual soil uplifted several millimeters when conditions are appropriate. We see how these movements affect vegetation and the stability of the land over all.Frost Shattering: Our KANES guide takes us to locations to view the initial stages of this process and shows us examples of the various steps.
Screes & Fans; On the trails we see many examples of these. Our guide will point out the movements of theses and how they might affect settlement development and roads etc. When time permits we climb a scree flow to familiarise ourselves with its gradient, movement process, texture and the features of the rock fragments. Here we learn to appreciate the difference between flowing rock rivers and fans.
Limestone Erosion: This is different as it usually involves chemical reactions.
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Weathering
Erosion