Story: Sea floor geology

Colville and Kermadec ridges

The deep, rough seabed between the Colville and Kermadec ridges (north of New Zealand) is known as the Havre Trough. Here the seabed is slowly being pulled apart – the ridges are moving away from each other. The older Colville Ridge has extinct volcanoes, while the younger Kermadec Ridge has many active volcanoes. This video clip shows the shape of several submarine volcanoes, derived from detailed bathymetric surveys.

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NOAA Ocean Exploration Progamme, New Zealand American Ring of Fire Expedition

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How to cite this page:

Keith Lewis, Scott D. Nodder and Lionel Carter, 'Sea floor geology - Active plate boundaries', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/5597/colville-and-kermadec-ridges (accessed 19 April 2024)

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