Quake shakes icebergs into Tasman Glacier Lake....

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Quake shakes icebergs into Tasman Glacier Lake...


The earthquake that struck Christchurch today was so powerful it caused huge icebergs to break off and cave into the Tasman Lake.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook large icebergs in the Tasman Glacier's Terminal Lake, sending about 30 million tonnes of ice loose, 3news.co.nz reports.

The pieces floated into the lake at Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.

Tourism manager for Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Village, Denis Callesen, says the quake caused a major calving from the Basal and Terminal Face of the Glacier

“We have procedures to deal with this type of event and for some time have stayed 800m away from the Terminal Face as we suspected it was becoming unstable,” he was quoted as saying.

Passengers aboard two tour boats also felt the disturbance, experiencing waves of up to 3.5m for about 30 minutes.

Tourism manager Denis Callesen told the NZ Herald that the dangers for the passengers could have been worse if not for safety procedures that were put in place.

The calving was the third biggest event in the history of the Terminal Lake, which is now over 6km long and 2km wide in places, after a huge quake.

Acknowledgements: MSN News, TV3 News

http://ecospree.com

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The endangered Hectors dolphin is found only in inshore waters off New Zealand's South Island...

The Hectors dolphins are among the world's smallest dolphins. They are found only in the inshore waters of New Zealand's South Island. Its close cousin, the Maui dolphin, is found in west coast waters off the North Island.

They are the only dolphins in New Zealand with a wellrounded dorsal fin. Their bodies are a distinctive grey colour with black and white markings and a short snout.

They are also an endangered species - down to only 8,000 in number at present. They also only breed every two to three years.

Hectors dolphins have also been reported to get caught in fishing nets at times.

http://ecospree.com

http://www.blackcat.co.nz/wildlife.html/

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin.fact/

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• Are dolphins endangered? (greenanswers.com)

The New Zealand Yellowheads an endangered bird species in New Zealand...

The Yellowheads or Bush Canaries, are an endangered bird species in New Zealand that conservationists have attempted to assist by transfering to a predator free island in the South Island area.

The New Zealand Government's Department of Conservation (locally known as DOC) is at the head of all conservation programs in this country. It has established a mohua(Yellowhead) recovery plan.Its goal is to maintain and enhance the mohua population by halting and reversing the degradation of the forest eco system.


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