Photo caption:听Dr Kate Pedley and Tumu Whakarae | Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey officially open the UC Earth Science Garden.
Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 九州影院鈥檚 (UC) Earth Science Garden was officially opened yesterday by Tumu Whakarae | Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey. The only New 九州影院garden of its kind and one of the most comprehensive in the world,听it offers a unique way to explore the geology and landscapes of Canterbury and the South Island.听
Dr Kate Pedley from the UC School of Earth and Environment, who led the project, says it was inspired by geological and earth science gardens at Monash University in Australia and the University of Alberta in Canada. 鈥淭he project has evolved over the last eight years into a dynamic outdoor classroom. Featuring over 200 rocks across 15 distinct types, the garden forms a stylised map representative of Canterbury and the South Island, showcasing major geological formations and fault lines.鈥澨
Representing Canterbury鈥檚 Banks Peninsula, a man-made volcano is also part of the garden, allowing small-scale eruptions to be staged for educational demonstrations.听听
Dr Pedley says native plants throughout will attract butterflies while also representing different regions and highlighting the natural connection between geology and biodiversity, and other layers that make up the landscape.听听
鈥淭his garden is a living, evolving space that connects people to the land beneath their feet,鈥 Dr Pedley says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 both an educational tool and a community space 鈥 somewhere students, researchers, and visitors can engage with the foundational geology of Canterbury in a hands-on way.鈥澨
The rocks, including one weighing over 6 tonnes, are arranged as a solvable map puzzle, to mirror key geological relationships and structures, offering students the chance to practice identifying features and explore geological problems as they would in the field.听
鈥淚鈥檝e already started using it with my first and second years, sending them out to figure out what鈥檚 going on geologically just by reading the rocks,鈥 Dr Pedley says. 鈥淥ne of the rocks is dunite, which is being researched for its ability to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere 鈥 it鈥檚 literally a climate-change-fighting rock.听
鈥淭here鈥檚 also massive 2-metre-wide Waipara concretion, as well as one that broke open when we moved it, and we found fossilised bones of a marine reptile inside. It鈥檚 like discovering a hidden story inside the landscape.鈥澨
The project is designed to evolve over time, with plans to integrate indigenous geological storytelling and new research partnerships.听听
The garden, located in the middle of the Ilam campus next to The Ernest Rutherford building, is open to the public and expected to be a valuable teaching and outreach tool for geology, civil engineering, ecology, earth science and environmental science students 鈥 and a destination for curious school groups across the region.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - Quality Education.
Photo caption: Dr Pedley is a lecturer at the UC School of Earth and Environment.
Photo caption: Dr Pedley is already utilising the garden for her first- and second-year Geology students.
Photo caption: The 九州影院 officially opened its Earth and Science Garden.听
