Stevens, G.R. 1984 Discovering New Zealand's ancient shorelines. Wellington: SIPC, DSIR. Alpha 44. 8 p.
Abstract:
Over the many millions of years of geological time dramatic changes have occurred in New Zealand's geographical position in the world. Along with other southern lands, it has moved slowly and sedately, almost as if performing an elephantine waltz, around large parts of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. At the same time, major changes occurred in the shape of New Zealand in the distribution of the land the sea around it. These changes can be studied and documented by using fossils to help identify and chart modifications in past environments, and, by using the Geological Time Scale to establish a timetable for the changes. Reconstruction of ancient environments depends on detailed knowledge of the vast range of present day environments, such as swamps, river valleys, lakes, river estuaries, beaches, continental shelves, deep sea troughs, volcanic lava fields, coral reefs, and ice fields. All these environments have characteristic features and deposits. Geologists search for such characteristics in the compacted and hardened deposits laid down in past geological times. Because older rock formations are frequently weathered, buckled into complex patterns, or altered by heat and pressure, the full reconstruction of an environment in all its detail presents the geologist with a complex piece of detective work
