Year 13
Last week, our Year 13 Earth and Space Science students visited several geological sites in the East Auckland region. We had a wonderful walk up Maungarei (Mt Wellington), from where we could identify various volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field. We collected many puzzle pieces of evidence to use together to determine different sequences of volcanic eruptions and ages of different volcanoes in the volcanic field.
Auckland is special, having been formed by a hotspot underneath the city; this explains why there are so many volcanoes in Auckland! The day ended with a visit to Eastern Beach, where we could interpret the sequence of sedimentary layers – who knew there were so many things to observe in the cliffs and rocks. A great day out; thanks to Ms De Roo for accompanying our class with Mrs Collier and teaching us a bit about sea snails too.
Year 12
Our Year 12 Earth and Space Science students joined Mrs Collier and Ms Pretorius on a walking trip to Ōhuiarangi (Pigeon Mountain). The purpose was to collect some evidence about geological processes that formed and shaped the maunga. We were delighted to examine rocks and weathering features present in the crater and on the flanks of the volcano. We also saw evidence of basaltic lavas that built up most of the land towards the Tamaki Estuary.
Currently, there is work being done on the maunga to build a viewing platform, so lots of human activity to witness! There were also traces of early Māori settlement in the form of kūmara pits and terraces where food crops were cultivated. A glorious sunny day to learn more about our local maunga’s geological and human history.
Sandy Collier, TIC – Earth and Space Science
