Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, New Zealand. Photograph by Andrew Collins.
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND–Our Wooster Geologist in New Zealand, junior geology major Andrew Collins, is on an enforced break from his studies at the University of Canterbury. (The earthquake damage and the continuing aftershocks have given Andrew a new perspective on neotectonics.) Like any good geologist, he took the opportunity to see more of the land. One of his visits was to Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the northwestern coast of South Island. There he saw the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers descending from the Southern Alps into a coastal rainforest. You can see more of Andrew’s photographs and read his narratives on his blog. This year Wooster Geologists also had close encounters with glaciers in Iceland and Alaska.
Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand. Note the internal stratification. Photograph by Andrew Collins.
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Franz Josef is awesome. It’s my favorite glacier tour by a long shot. I did the full day on the ice. There’s nothing like walking from tropical rain forest to the terminal face of a glacier in 30 minutes.