Volcanoes in New Zealand – Arte

New Zealand is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are powerful volcanoes roaming there, which erupt again and again – recently on White Island, where the explosion of an underwater volcano killed humans. Scientists are looking for preventive measures – they discover not only lava caves and volcanic islands but also a unique animal world. Auckland is the economic capital of New Zealand. There are about 50 dormant volcanoes under the massive city that will erupt again one day, that’s for sure. Snake underground lava caves, including Stewarts Cave. Geologists watch for outcrops there to predict possible volcanic eruptions. On the cave walls they discovered a colony of glowing fungi and bacteria that feed on nutrient-rich volcanic rocks. Volcanoes cannot be tamed, yet they create new life. On the volcanic island of Little Barrier, the bridge lizard, descended from the time of the dinosaurs, found a primeval jungle without natural enemies like introduced mammals. There also lives the kakapo, a flightless parrot that smells honey during courtship and is not only very intelligent, but also curious, playful and stubborn, almost human-like. Volcanoes formed New Zealand. In the south, the Southern Alps lift themselves into the clouds. To this day, earthquakes push rocks upward. Fiordland, the country’s largest national park, with Mount Tetero as its landmark, is spread out at the foot of the Alps. It is a granite mountain that researchers have dated for the first time. It could be as old as the earth itself.