WALT: Explain a scientific phenomenon
Hot Springs Explanation
Hot Springs, the natural spa the earth creates.
For the earth to form these pools, it may not be as much of a simple
process as you may think. There are so many things needed to get
our wonderful hot springs across our home, New Zealand.
So now I’m gonna start way back to the reasons why all this happens,
one being, The Ring Of Fire. The Ring Of Fire is a part of our earth
that's shape resembles a ring. Before we start thinking that this is a
literal ring of fire, let me explain first. It is an area which 90 percent
of the world's earthquakes occur. It is also the area of such where
75 percent of the world's volcanoes are located.
New Zealand is located right at the start of this ring.
With the ring of fire covering our small country, we are bound to be
affected. In the South Island we have what’s called an alpine fault
line. The fault line is an area where tectonic plates crash against
each other, these two plates are the Australian plate and the
Pacific plate. Then because of the chaos underground, earthquakes
happen and thermal pools are possible.
So these last were facts that are the reason it comes to be, so now
let’s start with the process of how they form.
Rain and snow falls down on the mountains in Hanmer Springs.
The said rain and snow goes through the rocks inside the mountains.
At least 2 kilometres underground the now water comes to form a
reservoir. It stays there and gets heated from the earth’s core.
It either naturally comes to the top of the earth or is pulled up to the
surface.
So this is how it all works, how the thermal pools are made.
From the ring of fire to the alpine fault line, this is how the hot
springs are created.
