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The Southern Alps

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Periglacial Preconditioning of Debris Flows in the Southern Alps, New Zealand

Part of the book series: Springer Theses ((Springer Theses))

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Abstract

New Zealand’s Southern Alps superficially appear especially suited for the investigation of predisposing debris flow controls. The steep topography, extensive regolith reservoirs, and relatively frequent high intensity rainfall events create an ideal environment for debris flow development. Debris flow tracks are common features throughout the Southern Alps, and, in view of documented high regolith production rates, activity levels are expected to be high. This chapter provides a general introduction to the Southern Alps. It briefly outlines the geography, geology, climate, and geomorphology of the Southern Alps. The focus of this chapter is the Southern Alps in general; a detailed description of the individual debris flow study areas follows in Chap. 3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Katrin Sattler

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  1. Katrin Sattler
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Correspondence to Katrin Sattler .

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Sattler, K. (2016). The Southern Alps. In: Periglacial Preconditioning of Debris Flows in the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-35074-5_2

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