Why is there a concentration of earthquakes between the Taranaki and Ruapehu volcanoes? And why is a mountain range sinking into the South Taranaki Bight while coastal cliffs around Hawera are rising?
Victoria University geophysics professor Tim Stern is coming to speak in Whanganui on those and other mysteries of the earth's crust. It will be the first Whanganui Science Forum talk of the year, and starts at 7.30pm on February 28.
The venue is a new one - the St John ambulance rooms at 25 Tawa St - and the cost is $4 for members and $5 for nonmembers.
Professor Stern wants to talk about what happens under the earth in this part of New Zealand. But he will start with an overview of the world and this country, and an explanation of plate tectonics.
"I really think New Zealanders need to understand a little bit about plate tectonics, because then they would have more idea about what causes earthquakes," he said.