Manuela Tost

Citation

Thesis Title
Linking distal volcaniclastic sedimentation and stratigraphy with the growth and development of stratovolcanoes,Ruapehu Volacano New Zealand

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Large, long-lived mountain-building volcanoes pose great risks to civilization, because they commonly collapse leading to the production of major landslides. Ms Tost''sresearch addressed fundamental questions regarding the magnitude, timing and impacts of major landslides from Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand. She established that at least seven landslides had occurred with volumes up to 3 km3, which distributed debris over an area more than 1200 km2. Ms Tost discovered the mechanisms for why they travelled much farther than was expected, and reached over 100 km down several valleys. Ms Tost’s findings provided new geochemical and age insights into the long-term evolution of the Ruapehu volcanic system, including defining its new age at more than 340,000 years old. Furthermore, she was able to use the volcanic deposits to calculate rates of tectonic uplift in the area surrounding the central volcanic plateau of the North Island of New Zealand.

Supervisors
Professor Shane Cronin
Associate Professor Ian Smith
Emeritus Professor Vince Neall
Professor Jonathan Procter
Professor Richard Price