A continent on the move : New Zealand geoscience into the 21st century / chief editor, Ian J. Graham.

"This publication is a New Zealand contribution to the 2008 International Year of Planet Earth"--P. v.

Includes bibliographic references (p. 337-352) and index.

This land of ours : providing expert advice and commentary -- Maps that changed New Zealand : mapping as a key to understanding geology in 4D --Time keepers : the measurement and ordering of geological time -- Remnants of a distant past : discovering New Zealand's basement -- Astride a plate boundary : understanding the Pacific-Australian plate boundary through Zealandia -- Shifting ground : plate tectonic evolution of Zealandia -- Forges of Middle Earth : post-Gondwana volcanic activity in Zealandia -- The land strikes back : geological hazards of the New Zealand region -- Water world : discovering the undersea continent -- Fossil markers : ancient life-forms - the past explaining the present -- Climate swings and roundabouts : paleoclimatic fluctuations across Zealandia -- Mineral wealth : natural economic resources of New Zealand -- Natural laboratory : geoscience in New Zealand - past, present and future.

New Zealand is adrift in the South Pacific Ocean, separated from the rest of the world by vast distances and blessed with some of the most varied and spectacular natural landscapes on Earth. Generations of geoscientists have developed an increasing understanding of what makes New Zealand geologically unique and why. Highlights of this research, including many discoveries of global significance, are presented in this book. It will also enable politicians, planners, and developers to make more informed decisions regarding appropriate land use, beneficial utilisation of resources, and protection against geological hazards, through a better understanding of the dynamic environment we live in.

Montana New Zealand Book Awards Environment Award, 2009