Olivine Ice Plateau

Olivine Ice Plateau
Upper Forgotten River and edge of the Olivine Ice Plateau
LocationFive Finger Range
Coordinates44°26′26″S 168°22′00″E / 44.440594°S 168.366606°E / -44.440594; 168.366606
Highest elevation2200m
Lowest elevation700m

The Olivine Ice Plateau is a glacier in the Olivine Wilderness Area[1] and Aspiring National Park in New Zealand's South Island.[2] The plateau is named after the mineral olivine, which is common within the Dun Mountain Ophiolite that underlies the area.[3] The plateau extents to the west over the Forgotten River Col. into the Forgotten River and to the north it merges with the Andy Glacier, which feeds a tributary of the Arawhata River.[4] The Olivine Ice Plateau is one of many glaciers in the region of the Arawhata, Dart / Te Awa Whakatipu, Hollyford / Whakatipu Kā Tuka and Matukituki rivers' headwaters.[5]

The area was explored and mapped in the 1930s by J.T. Holloway.[6][3] In the 2010s the glacier has retreated, leading to a more rocky approach to the plateau over the Forgotten River Col.[7] The plateau is "revered" by New Zealand trampers for its remote and challenging location.[7][8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ "Department of Conservation: New Zealand Wilderness areas" (PDF). www.doc.govt.nz.
  2. ^ Spearpoint, Geoff; Hegg, Danilo (2013). Moir's Guide North: The Otago Southern Alps : from the Hollyford to Lake Ōhau : a Tramping and Transalpine Guide. New Zealand Alpine Club Publications. pp. 118, 136. ISBN 9780958279178.
  3. ^ a b Reed, Alexander Wyclif (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Reed Books. p. 357. ISBN 9780790007618.
  4. ^ "Olivine Ice Plateau, West Coast". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  5. ^ "New Zealand's glaciers face great melt". Stuff. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. ^ Temple, Philip (1985). New Zealand Explorers: Great Journeys of Discovery. Whitcoulls Publishers. ISBN 9780723307433.
  7. ^ a b Jul '17, Shaun Barnett 18 July 201718 (17 July 2017). "Into the Forgotten". Wilderness Magazine NZ. Retrieved 3 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Jun '16, Geoff Spearpoint 17 June 201617 (16 June 2016). "Olivine Wilderness Area". Wilderness Magazine NZ. Retrieved 3 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Forgotten River and the Olivine Ice Plateau NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Olivine Ice Plateau NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  11. ^ "A Tea Party on the Olivine Ice Plateau". CUTC. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2019.