Story: Limestone country

New Zealand 10 million years ago

New Zealand 10 million years ago

The green area shows the shape of New Zealand 10 million years ago. Also marked are three areas famous for their limestone landscapes today. Ten million years ago most of the limestone and marble that we see today had already formed, and there was much more of it on the New Zealand mainland. Very little limestone remains, as the land has been uplifted and the limestone has largely eroded away.

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GNS Science
Reference: E. McSaveney and R. Sutherland, New Zealand adrift. 2nd ed. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences, 2005

Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Paul Williams, 'Limestone country - Karst', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/map/12387/new-zealand-10-million-years-ago (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Paul Williams, published 24 Sep 2007