Plateau Hut and Glacier Dome

BY JULIAN THOMSON (OUT THERE LEARNING)
Accessibility: VERY DIFFICULT
Liebig Range, J.Thomson / GNS Science
At his location you are surrounded by huge mountain faces and glacial landscapes. This is the terrain of mountaineers only where extremes of weather and active glacial erosion is the norm.
Plateau Hut seen from the slopes of Glacier Dome. J.Thomson / GNS Science
The rocks that make up these mountains are part of the Torlesse Supergroup. They consist of 'greywacke' which originated as sands and muds on the ocean floor off the coast of Gondwanaland between 300 and 100 million years ago. They have been subjected to burial to depths of several kilometres, partial metamorphism, accretion onto the side of Gonwanaland by plate collision followed by later uplift and erosion as the Alpine Fault developed along the modern plate boundary. Uplift rates of the central southern alps are relatively fast, up to roughly 1cm per year. The orientation of the Southern Alps at right angles to the prevailing westerly winds that arrive directly off the Tasman Sea creates extreme weather conditions and dynamic erosion processes. Rock and Ice avalanches are common, and, on occasion, truly enormous. The relentless grinding of glaciers carves deep valleys that undercut and destabilise mountain slopes. Climate warming has been having a big impact on ice volumes of the glaciers, and snowfields over recent decades, uncovering loose moraine walls such as on the sides of the Tasman Glacier.
Upper Tasman Glacier from Glacier Dome, J.Thomson / GNS Science
Glacier Dome is a half hour climb from Plateau Hut (requiring crampons, ice axe and mountaineering skills). It provides a 360 degree view of the Grand Plateau, high surrounding peaks of the Main Divide, Tasman Glacier and mountains of the Liebig Range. Look for steeply bedded and folded bedrock, glaciers, active ice cliffs, moraine walls and the terminal lake of the Tasman Glacier in the distance. On a warm day it is highly likely that you will witness ice avalanches off the east faces of Aoraki and Mount Tasman.
Directions/Advisory

Start at the DOC visitor centre in Aoraki / Mount Cook village to get updated information on accessibility and conditions. Most people fly up to the plateau. Organise your flights at the airport near the village. If you decide to climb to the plateau, you will need high level local knowledge of the route options and very high fitness and mountaineering skills.

This is not a tourist trip. Experienced mountaineers only.

Google Directions

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Accessibility: VERY DIFFICULT

Organise your flights at the airport near the village. If you decide to climb to the plateau, you will need high level local knowledge of the route options and very high fitness and mountaineering skills.

Features
Metamorphic Rock Deformation Landform Active Erosion
Geological Age
Uplift of these ranges has been occurring over the last few million years and is an active process.
Zealandia Evolution Sequence
Pākihi Supergoup: 5 million years ago – present