Glacial Geomorphology of the Central South Island, New Zealand The central part of the South Island of New Zealand contains a spectacular array of landforms produced by the action of glaciers, spanning from deep in prehistoric time through to the present day. Glaciers are expressions of atmospheric climatic conditions, and their advances and retreats, recorded by distinctive landforms, provide a measure of past climate changes. New Zealand's glacier record is an important piece of information for enquiry into the natural behviour of Earth's climate system. This monograph describes and illustrates the glacial landforms of the central Southern Alps of New Zealand. In a separate enclosure is a full colour, large format geomorphologic map ... that spans from the west to the east coast, including the highest parts of the Southern Alps. The maps is the product of a multinational research programme that began in the late 1990's, in combination with geologic dating of key landforms. The ultimate purpose of the research is to obtain records of past climate changes preserved in New Zealand landforms, and evaluate what they have to tell us about global patterns of climate variation, both in the past and at present."--Back cover. |
