Deep fault drilling project
It rains a lot in the tiny south Westland town of Whataroa. Every year, this region gets some of the highest rainfall totals recorded anywhere in the World and Whataroa is one of the wetter parts. The town is nestled beneath almost the highest part of NZ's Southern Alps, an imposing mountain range that presents an abrupt barrier to the moisture-laden westerly winds after their unimpeded journey across thousands of miles of the vast Southern Ocean. The resulting deluge happens quickly, often, and all year round. Under this constant barrage, the mountains are being worn down at some of the highest erosion rates on record and yet, remarkably, they are maintaining their lofty elevation. The reason for this paradox is that these mountains are being pushed up—and shunted sideways—by forces below just as quickly as they are being worn down by forces above.
