Tsunami Video

New Zealanders know by first hand experience that living on top of a plate boundary makes life unpredictable. The recent earthquake in Christchurch was just the latest example of that.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing several Kiwis who had experienced first hand the power of a tsunami. Luckily for them they all escaped with no more than cuts and bruises, but many around them were not so fortunate. These tsunami events were overseas - in Thailand 2004 and Samoa 2009. However, it is worth remembering that New Zealand is one of the most 'at risk' countries in the world when it comes to tsunami hazard.

In case you haven't seen it on our GNS Science Youtube Channel here is a video of the vivid tsunami accounts, hosted by Hamish Campbell:

NZ Volcano Fact Sheets

The GNS Science website now has 10 one page Fact Sheets on the main New Zealand volcanoes. They give details of the landforms, rock types and eruption histories, with colourful images and diagrams.These are great for a school project, or to print off and take with you when you go for a tramp up one of our volcanoes.

Don't forget that there is lots of detailed volcano information on our website as well as webcams and updates of volcano activity levels on our GeoNet site.

Watch a video of scientists monitoring White Island Volcano, or follow some students whilst they check out the amazing Volcanic Landforms of Tongariro.

Rotomahana Fact Sheet

To have some more background information on the Rotomahana project that you can print off and have at your fingertips, go here. It answers basic questions about the purpose of the project, the technology being used, and some of the scientific questions that will be answered by the investigation.

The photo shows the offical party at the Prime MInister's Science Prize ceremony in Auckland last weekend. Cornel is second from the right. He was awarded the prestigious prize for being the top science communicator of the year 2010.

Rotorua Schools' Tour

I am in Rotorua this week visiting a number of the schools to tell the children about the Rotomahana Project.

It is wonderful to witness the excitement and engagement of the kids, and the enthusiasm of the teachers helping them to learn about the unique history and geology of the local area.

I have been describing some background of New Zealand's volcanic landscapes, the reasons why scientists want to understand the geothermal activity, the history of the Tarawera Eruption of 1886 and also the way we will be investigating the lake with the Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

The photos show GNS Scientists at work studying our volcanoes and geothermal activity in New Zealand