Nga Tapuwai o Mataoho, footprints of Mataoho. Mangere Mountain

Nga Tapuwai o Mataoho, footprints of Mataoho. Mangere Mountain

Nga Tapuwai o Mataoho, footprints of Mataoho. Mangere Mountain

Mangere Mountain has a number of important features for Auckland Volcanic Field geeks to get excited about.

  • the shape of the scoria cone (steep sided compared with Rangitoto a shield volcano where the molten basalt flowed freely without a high gas content.)
  • major landsape features and processes (explosion crater, large southern cone with a smaller cone to the north)
    Other landscape features including a breach on the eastern side of the southern cone that allowed basalt to flow freely where the football fields are now. Another minor breach that local Maori had to fortify to prevent incursions by unwelcome guests
  • Assorted lava bombs and evidence of fire fountaining as volcanic activity waned
  • Human impact through stone gardens, kumara pits. There was substantial quarying as durable basalt and scoria were removed for building purposes.

The mountain is still there but the Greenbay High School students who went on this trip have now moved onwards upwards and sideways

Mangere Mountain field trip 2011 from john west on Vimeo.

Nga Tapuwai o Mataoho, footprints of Mataoho. Mangere Mountain field trip

Thanks to Ian and Farrell at Mangere Mountain Education Centre for sharing their knowledge with 3 parties of Green Bay High School students as they researched surface processes for science 1.13. Walk the present, discover the past.

Students focussed their research  on:

  • the shape of the scoria cone (steep sided compared with Rangitoto a shield volcano where the molten basalt flowed freely without a high gas content.)
  • major landsape features and processes (explosion crater, large southern cone with a smaller cone to the north)
    Other landscape features including a breach on the eastern side of the southern cone that allowed basalt to flow freely where the football fields are now. Another minor breach that local Maori had to fortify to prevent incursions by unwelcome guests
  • Assorted lava bombs and evidence of fire fountaining as volcanic activity waned
  • Human impact through stone gardens, kumara pits. There was substantial quarying as durable basalt and scoria were removed for building purposes.

Watch out for some of the features in the video of the field trip.

Untitled from john west on Vimeo.

The basaltic magma is produced 70Km below the surface as the pacific plate is subducted beneath the Australian plate. It gradually makes it way to the surface and it is only a matter of time before another volcano joins 50 others dotted accross the Auckland landscape

Some more on Auckland volcanos

Mangere Mountain

Maori Bay a 17 million year old Auckland volcano….. yep those plates were colliding then!

Lake Pupuke, one of the oldest volcanos in the Auckland field.

Te Henga Bethell’s Beach, evidence for a 20 million year old volcano

A look at the subduction zone responsible for all the volcanic activity in the North Island and the devastating earthquake in Christchurch. Why Tonga has a precarious existence

Mangere Mountain, walk the present, discover the past. Science 1.13

 

 Mangere mountain education centre. has information on the mountain.

 

The landmarker walk trails around the mountain, Humps hollows and terraces are  traces of a large community that lived in the shelter of the mountain, The formation of the mountain would have been extremely violent.

There are six stations around the trail

  1. Te waahi Paarekereke (The Nursery)
  2. Ngaa Rua (Pits of Plenty)
  3. Tuuaapapa Parehua Whare (Terrace Housing)
  4. Taituaraa Whakauu (Security)
  5. Nga Momo Kai (To be Relished)
  6. Ngaa Taiapa Hei Whakatuu (Family Fences}

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