New Zealand's large, fragile mountains face twin threatsALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZThey may look like colossal slabs of rock, but experts say New Zealand's tallest mountains are in a fragile state. With a 30 per cent chance of a large earthquake in the next 50 years, it presented both an ecological and economic threat. Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park will soon have 500,000 visitors a year, up 233 per cent from 150,000 two decades ago. "The issue for DOC is that most of our tourism and most of our mountains are centred along the fault. The country's top conservation boss said the threat of an earthquake beneath the mountains kept him awake at night.

Source: Stuff August 08, 2016 08:47 UTC