Background Information

This web page contains a summary of information regarding the physical geography of the main field site of the New Zealand Research Project: central South Island. It has been compiled from a number of internet and scientific literature sources.
The following topics are covered:

	Tectonics and Geology		Soils and Vegetation
	Weather and Climate		Glaciers and Snow Cover
Also of interest could be links to literature on landscape development, slopes & sediment fluxes and rivers systems & river / stream ecology, for example. In particular we focus on the Matukituki Valley, which is west of Wanaka and extends into Mt Aspiring National Park.