Alpine fault facts for kids

Movement along the Alpine Fault is deforming the microcontinent of Zealandia, with the southern part (on the Pacific Plate) sliding past and slightly onto the northwest part (on the Indo-Australian Plate)

The Alpine Fault is a geological fault that runs entirely through New Zealand's South Island. It forms a boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. Earthquakes along the fault have formed the Southern Alps.

Images for kids

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  Map of the northern end of the Alpine Fault and Marlborough Fault System.

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  New Zealand before the activation of the Alpine Fault (30 Ma).

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  Outcrop showing hydrothermally altered cataclasite in green, within the Alpine Fault zone, Waikukupa River.