Sutherland's research has included the deep ocean drilling of the Zealandian continent[4] and ancient climate change.[5] He has identified and named the ancient Moa tectonic plate.[6]
He is a co-leader of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) of the Alpine Fault. As a result of this project, exceptionally high heat flow was discovered on the West Coast.[7][8] Sutherland was the lead author reporting this in Nature.[9]
Sutherland is often used by the national and international media as an expert on seismic surveys,[10] earthquakes[11] and geology in general.[12] His involvement of the promotion of Zealandia to a continent gained a particularly high amount of media attention.[13][14]
Hutton Medal for "fundamental discoveries in global plate tectonics, the evolution of Zealandia and the implications for active faulting and large magnitude earthquakes in New Zealand".[16]
^Sutherland, R.; Kim, K.; Zondervan, A.; McSaveney, M. (2007). "Orbital forcing of mid-latitude Southern Hemisphere glaciation since 100 ka inferred from cosmogenic nuclide ages of moraine boulders from the Cascade Plateau, southwest New Zealand". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 119 (3–4): 443–451. Bibcode:2007GSAB..119..443S. doi:10.1130/B25852.1. ISSN0016-7606.
