New Zealand plate boundary models
In this activity, students make and/or observe two 3D moving models of the different tectonic plate boundaries under the North and South Islands representing the North Island subduction zone and the South Island Alpine Fault.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
understand the movement of plate boundaries in different parts of New Zealand.
The Alpine Fault from space
Satellite image of the South Island of New Zealand, showing the Alpine Fault.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background
what you need
what to do
making the North Island subduction zone model
making the South Island fault model
using the North Island subduction zone model
using the South Island fault model
model pieces.
Related content
Discover more about Plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes.
Discover some of the research that focuses on the Alpine Fault – and the squishy zone below it.
Related activities
The teaching resource Earthquakes New Zealand features seven activities designed to help students develop an understanding about earthquakes in New Zealand, including why we get them and how we measure them. The three below are particularly relevant to this activity.
Earthquake location – students are introduced to some of the methods scientists use to record earthquakes. They obtain data from tables and graphs, carry out simple calculations and draw results on a map.
Shaky New Zealand – students use maps to plot a graph of earthquakes under New Zealand to show the shape of the North Island subduction zone and compare this to the distribution of earthquakes in the South Island.
Earthquake intensity – students study damage descriptions from earthquakes and allocate a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) number.
Acknowledgement
This activity was developed for the Earthquake Commission (EQC), now known as the Natural Hazards Commission, and has been kindly provided for use on the Science Learning Hub.
Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake
Find out more about the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake at www.naturalhazards.govt.nz.
