Under The Microscope

RUGGED LANDSCAPE, THE GEOLOGY OF CENTRAL NEW ZEALAND, by Graeme Stevens; DSIR Publishing 1990; 286 pages; $39.95

I like a book that has lots of pictures, especially if it's trying to teach me something. Rugged Landscape succeeds in this respect. It's crammed full of aerial photographs, diagrams and drawings of the rather restless landscape that makes up Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu and the Marlborough Sounds.

Fortunately for the publishers, this book ages well. Most of the photos are of rocks, and provide little clue to the fact that the book was first printed in 1974. One or two other indications may be found, such as in the very cursory mention of the theory of continental drift. It's bascially confined to a listing in the glossary. Since the mid-70s, physical evidence concerning plate tectonics has grown and New Zealand's tectonically active history has been explored.

Despite its age, Rugged Landscape provides a reasonably comprehensive look at the geological processes that have gone into the New Zealand landscape.

I look forward to seeing a revised edition of this text come out before the next 15 years go by. The work done in the last 15 years by our geologists deserves to be as well explained as that of their predecessors.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM