Story: Sea floor geology

Plate boundary

Plate boundary

This map shows the plate boundary that runs through New Zealand. Off the North Island’s east coast, and north of it, oceanic crust of the Pacific Plate dives (subducts) beneath the continental crust of the Australian Plate, forming the Hikurangi Trough. At the other end of the country, off the south-west corner of the South Island, the situation is reversed. Oceanic crust of the Australian Plate subducts beneath the continental crust of the Pacific Plate.

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Source: Ray Wood and others, New Zealand’s continental shelf and UNCLOS Article 76. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences; Wellington: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, 2003

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How to cite this page:

Keith Lewis, Scott D. Nodder and Lionel Carter, 'Sea floor geology - Zealandia: the New Zealand continent', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/map/5585/plate-boundary (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by Keith Lewis, Scott D. Nodder and Lionel Carter, published 12 Jun 2006