Investigation of the Internal Stratigraphy of Alpine Fault Rupture Induced Coastal Dune Formations in South Westland, New Zealand Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Abstract

Visible from aerial imagery, ridge formations can be seen building outward and parallel from the coast in South Westland, New Zealand, near the mouth of the Haast River. These coastal formations are a result of tectonically induced sediment pulses down the Haast River from shifting of the Alpine fault. To better understand the internal stratographic profiles of these coastal features, ground penetrating radar (GPR) was used parallel and perpendicular to dunes. The purpose of this study was the continued investigation of the stratigraphy of these coastal formations using GPR, which will lead to an enhanced understanding of geomorphic processes that affect the coastal processes near Haast, New Zealand, as well as other coastal locations affected by similar processes.