Science Topics

Our scientific knowledge is accessible to everyone.

Geoscience topics

Sitting astride an active plate boundary and isolated from other countries by a vast ocean, New Zealand has a spectacular and dynamic landscape. Learn more about New Zealand's exciting geological environment by exploring these webpages, taking a virtual tour, watching exciting videos, playing interactive games, and browsing our photo galleries.
  • Earthquakes & Faults

    Earthquakes
    Explore the “Shaky Isles” – our fault lines, earthquakes and monitoring network.

  • Ice & snow

    Ice & Snow
    Wild, cold and remote environments, from NZ’s Southern Alps to Antarctica.

  • Volcanoes

    Volcanoes
    Get to know New Zealand’s volcanoes – locations, eruptions, and surveillance.

  • Fossil Energy
    New Zealand's oil, gas and coal resources - creation, location, exploration and processing.

    Tsunami

    Tsunami
    Study past tsunamis to understand how future tsunamis may be generated.

    Geothermal ecosystems icon

    Geothermal Ecosystems
    Explore the life in NZ's extreme geothermal environments

  • Fossils

    Fossils
    Discover amazing time capsules that tell us about past life forms and environments.

  • Ocean floor

    Ocean Floor
    Join us on an expedition to Zealandia – the unseen land beneath the waves.

  • geothermal

    Earth Energy
    Find, extract and harness New Zealand's abundant geothermal resources.