Lake Paringa is located on the West Coast of the South Island, within a large catchment (~60 km²) that is dominated by undisturbed temperate rainforest. Lake Paringa is situated approximately 3 km west of the Alpine Fault, which is the only known seismically active structure within 60 km of the lake. The Alpine Fault ruptures every approximately 300 yrs, with four major earthquakes of magnitude seven or greater occurring within the last 1,100 years. The lake is largely buffered from environmental changes due to low seasonal temperature variations, high rainfalls, and a ‘pristine’ catchment that has experienced no anthropogenic disturbances until very recently.
