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Dr Mark Rattenbury - GNS' Mapping Programme

Geologist Dr Mark Rattenbury has spent most of the last 18 years of his working life as part of a team completing 21 new geological maps of New Zealand

The $25 million project has involved 30 scientists and many support people to working in all parts of the country.

Programme Leader Mark Rattenbury with a large composite geological map produced from the newly integrated digital data. Photo: Margaret Low, GNS Science

The Christchurch geological map was published prior to rupture of the fault associated with the Canterbury earthquake of 4 September 2010. The position of the new fault is marked in red and highlights how geological maps lose currency with time. Image: GNS Science

Mark Rattenbury examining schist in South Westland as part of the Haast geological map. Photo: Mark Rattenbury, GNS Science.

GNS Science mapping geologists and technical staff assembled at Tukino in April to review the completed QMAP project. Photo: Dougal Townsend, GNS Science.

The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.