Continental Oxygen Isotopic Record of the Last 170,000 Years in Jerusalem

A long radiometrically dated oxygen isotopic record of continental climatic variations since the penultimate glaciation was obtained from a stalagmite deposited in a sealed cave in Jerusalem. This record shows that speleothems have the potential of assigning dates to long- and short-term climatic events, with possible refining of Milankovitch tuning of ice and marine records which themselves are not datable. Short-term (1000-yr) events are very significant in the region, reaching 50% of glacial/interglacial fluctuations. The Mediterranean Sea was the most probable source of local precipitation throughout the last glacial cycle.     

Pleistocene geochronologies for fluvial sedimentary sequences: an archaeologist's perspective

Current models of Pleistocene fluvial system development and dynamics are assessed from the perspective of European Lower and Middle Palaeolithic stone tool assemblages recovered from fluvial secondary contexts. Fluvial activity is reviewed both in terms of Milankovitch‐scale processes across the glacial/interglacial cycles of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, and in response to sub‐Milankovitch scale, high‐frequency, low‐magnitude climatic oscillations. The chronological magnitude of individual phases of fluvial activity is explored in terms of radiocarbon‐dated sequences from the Late Glacial and early Holocene periods. It is apparent that fluvial activity is associated with periods of climatic transition, both high and low magnitude, although system response is far more universal in the case of the high magnitude glacial/interglacial transitions. Current geochronological tools do not permit the development of high‐resolution sequences for Middle Pleistocene sediments, while localised erosion and variable system responses do not facilitate direct comparison with the ice core records. However, Late Glacial and early Holocene sequences indicate that individual fluvial activity phases are relatively brief in duration (e.g. 10² and 10³ yr). From an archaeological perspective, secondary context assemblages can only be interpreted in terms of a floating geochronology, although the data also permit a reinvestigation of the problems of artefact reworking. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The past valley glacier network in the Himalayas and the Tibetan ice sheet during the last glacial period and its glacial-isostatic, eustatic and climatic consequences

Since 1973 new data were obtained on the maximum extent of glaciation in High Asia. Evidence for an ice sheet covering Tibet during the Last Glacial Period means a radical rethinking about glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere. The ice sheet's subtropical latitude, vast size (2.4 million km²) and high elevation (6000 m asl) are supposed to have resulted in a substantial, albedo-induced cooling of the Earth's atmosphere and the disruption of summer monsoon circulation. Moraines were found to reach down to 460 m asl on the southern flank of the Himalayas and to 2300 m asl on the northern slope of the Tibetan Plateau, in the Qilian Shan region. On the northern slopes of the Karakoram, Aghil and Kuen-Lun mountains, moraines occur as far down as 1900 m asl. In southern Tibet radiographic analyses of erratics suggest a former ice thickness of at least 1200 m. Glacial polish and roches moutonnées in the Himalayas and Karakoram suggest former glaciers as thick as 1200–2700 m. On the basis of this evidence, a 1100–1600 m lower equilibrium line (ELA) has been reconstructed, resulting in an ice sheet of 2.4 million km², covering almost all of Tibet. Radiometric ages, obtained by different methods, classify this glaciation as isotope stage 3–2 in age (Würmian = last glacial period). With the help of 13 climate measuring stations, radiation- and radiation balance measurements have been carried out between 3800 and 6650 m asl in Tibet. They indicate that the subtropical global radiation reaches its highest energies on the High Plateau, thus making Tibet today's most important heating surface of the atmosphere. At glacial times 70% of those energies were reflected into space by the snow and firn of the 2.4 million km² extended glacier area covering the upland. As a result, 32% of the entire global cooling during the ice ages, determined by the albedo, were brought about by this area — now the most significant cooling surface. The uplift of Tibet to a high altitude about 2.75 Ma ago, coincides with the commencement of the Quaternary Ice Ages. When the Plateau was lifted above the snowline (= ELA) and glaciated, this cooling effect gave rise to the global depression of the snowline and to the first Ice Age. The interglacial periods are explained by the glacial-isostatic lowering of Tibet by 650 m, having the effect that the initial Tibet ice – which had evoked the build-up of the much more extended lowland ices – could completely melt away in a period of positive radiation anomalies. The next ice age begins, when – because of the glacial-isostatic reverse uplift – the surface of the Plateau has again reached the snowline. This explains, why the orbital variations (Milankovic-theory) could only have a modifying effect on the Quaternary climate dynamic, but were not primarily time-giving: as long as Tibet does not glaciate automatically by rising above the snowline, the depression in temperature is not sufficient for initiating a worldwide ice age; if Tibet is glaciated, but not yet lowered isostatically, a warming-up by 4 °C might be able to cause an important loss in surface but no deglaciation, so that its cooling effect remains in a maximum intensity. Only a glaciation of the Plateau lowered by isostasy, can be removed through a sufficiently strong warming phase, so that interglacial climate conditions are prevailing until a renewed uplift of Tibet sets in up to the altitude of glaciation.An average ice thickness for all of Tibet of approximately 1000 m would imply that 2.2 million km³ of water were stored in the Tibetan ice sheet. This would correspond to a lowering in sea level of about 5.4 m.     

Aptian giant explosive volcanic eruptions in the Songliao Basin and northeast Asia: A possible cause for global climate change and OAE-1a

Volcanism is a natural climate force that causes variations in temperatures. The Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE-1a) was preceded by a prominent negative C-isotope excursion attributed to major volcanism of the Ontong Java plateau (OJP), which presumably resulted in a pCO₂ increase and a climatic change. However, the OJP alone may not adequately explain some important isotopic signatures such as the negative strontium-isotope excursion from 125 Ma to 113 Ma that is recorded in the corresponding marine deposits. We present an independent and hitherto undocumented case, the giant Aptian volcanism in the Songliao Basin and northeast Asia (SB-V) on the Cretaceous active continental margin between the Eurasian and the Pacific plates, which covered an area of ca. 2.3 × 10⁶ km², nearly matching the simultaneous case of the OJP. Intensive strong, explosive volcanic eruptions of the SB-V occurred at 121–109 Ma and introduced a large volume of fine-grained volcanic ash and degassing volatiles into the atmosphere. The Aptian isotopic ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) of marine carbonates from the Mid-Pacific shift in values between their Barremian pre-excursion high values and the negative magmatic values of the SB-V. The transient global cooling at the onset of the OAE-1a coincided with the beginning of the violent acidic eruption of the SB-V (119.9–120.2 Ma). We therefore infer that the SB-V must have played a role in the Aptian global climatic changes and OAE-1a through the heavy fall of volcanic dust and the outgassing of aerosol and greenhouse gases.     

Climatic record of the past 130,000 years in North Atlantic deep-sea core V23-82: Correlation with the terrestrial record

Quantitative paleo-environmental analyses of planktonic foraminifera in 182 samples covering the past 130,000 years in North Atlantic deep-sea core V23-82 yield time series interpreted in terms of changing surface-water conditions. An absolute chronology is estimated by linear interpolation between levels dated by ¹⁴C or by stratigraphic correlation with other radiometrically dated climatic records. Significant events include: (1) rapid warming at 127,000 YBP, marking the start of the penultimate North Atlantic and European interglacial; (2) 124,000 YBP temperature maximum (Eemian); (3) 109,000 YBP cooling, correlated with the beginning of the last European glaciation (Würm), and representing a temporary cooling of the North Atlantic; (4) severe cooling 73,000 YBP, marking the start of the last full glacial regime in the North Atlantic; (5) short warm intervals within the last glacial regime dated at 59,000 YBP, 48,000 YBP, and 31,000 YBP; (6) rapid termination of the last glacial interval at 11,000 YBP; (7) a 6000 YBP hypsi-saline, followed by lowering salinity values presumably associated with decreasing flux of Gulf Stream waters over the core site.     

Mercury in the sedimentary deposits of Lake Baikal

Mercury distribution was examined in the sediments of Lake Baikal that were sampled within the scope of the Baikal Drilling International Project in 1996–1999. The Hg concentrations in the ancient sediments are close to those in the modern sediments with the exception of a few peak values, whose ages coincide with those of active volcanism in adjacent areas. Mercury was demonstrated to be contained in the sediments in the adsorbed Hg⁰ mode, predominantly in relation with organic matter. When the organic matter of the bottom sediments is decomposed in the course of lithification, Hg is retained in the sediments adsorbed on the residual organic matter, and the concentration of this element corresponds to its initial content in the bottom sediments during their accumulation. Mercury concentrations in lithologically distinct bottom sediments of Lake Baikal and its sediments as a whole depend on the climate. Sediments that were formed during warm periods of time contain more Hg than those produced during cold periods or glaciation. Periodical variations in the Hg concentrations in the bottom sediments of Lake Baikal reflect the variations in the contents of this element in the Earth’s atmosphere in the Late Cenozoic, which were, in turn, controlled by the climatic variations on the planet and, thus, can be used for detailed reconstructions of variations in the average global temperature near the planet’s surface.     

Geodynamics of Late Paleozoic batholith-forming processes in western Transbaikalia

Isotopic dates newly obtained for the northwestern portion of the Angara–Vitim batholith are consistent with preexisting data on the duration of the Late Paleozoic magmatic cycle: 55–60 Ma (from 325 to 280 Ma). These data also indicate that alkaline mafic magmatism in western Transbaikalia began simultaneously with the transition from crustal granite-forming processes to the derivation of granites of a mixed mantle–crustal nature, with gradual enrichment of the juvenile component in the source of the magmas. Analysis of the currently discussed geodynamic models of Late Paleozoic magmatism shows that a key role in all models of extensive granite-forming processes in the region is assigned to mafic mantle magmas, which can be generated in various geotectonic environments: subduction, delamination, decompression, and a mantle plume. The plume model is most consistent with the intraplate character of the Angara–Vitim batholith. The derivation of the vast volume of granitic material (approximately 1 million km³) should have required a comparable volume of mafic magma that should have been pooled in the middle crust of the Baikal fold area. However, the density structure of the region does not provide evidence of significant volumes of mafic rocks. This suggests that the mechanism of plume–lithospheric interaction that should have induced extensive crustal melting and the origin of vast granite areas was more complicated than simply conductive melting of crustal protoliths in contact with mafic intrusions.     

Surface exposure dating reveals MIS-3 glacial maximum in the Khangai Mountains of Mongolia

This study presents results from geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic radionuclide dating (¹⁰Be) of moraine sequences at Otgon Tenger (3905 m), the highest peak in the Khangai Mountains (central Mongolia). Our findings indicate that glaciers reached their last maximum extent between 40 and 35 ka during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Large ice advances also occurred during MIS-2 (at ~ 23 and 17–16 ka), but these advances did not exceed the limits reached during MIS-3. The results indicate that climatic conditions during MIS-3, characterized by a cool-wet climate with a greater-than-today input from winter precipitation, generated the most favorable setting for glaciation in the study region. Yet, glacial accumulation also responded positively to the far colder and drier conditions of MIS-2, and again during the last glacial–interglacial transition when precipitation levels increased. Viewed in context of other Pleistocene glacial records from High Asia, the pattern of glaciation in central Mongolia shares some features with records from southern Central Asia and NE-Tibet (i.e. ice maxima during interstadial wet phases), while other features of the Mongolian record (i.e. major ice expansion during the MIS-2 insolation minimum) are more in tune with glacier responses known from Siberia and western Central Asia.     

On the nature of lead–lag relationships during glacial–interglacial climate transitions

Analysis of leads and lags between different paleoclimate records remains an important method in paleoclimatology, used to propose and test hypotheses about causal relationships between different processes in the climate system. The robust lead of Antarctic temperature over CO₂ concentration during several recent glacial–interglacial transitions inferred from the Antarctic ice cores apparently contradicts the concept of CO₂-driven climate change and still remains unexplained. Here, using an Earth system model of intermediate complexity and generic scenarios for the principal climatic forcings during glacial–interglacial transitions we performed a suite of experiments that shed some light on the complexity of phase relationships between climate forcing and climate system response. In particular, our results provide an explanation for the observed Antarctic temperature lead over CO₂ concentration. It is shown that the interhemispheric oceanic heat transport provides a crucial link between the two hemispheres. We demonstrate that temporal variations of the oceanic heat transport strongly contribute to the observed phase relationship between polar temperature records in both hemispheres. It is shown that the direct effect of orbital variations on the Antarctic temperature is also significant and explains the observed cooling trend during interglacials. In addition, an imbedded δ¹⁸O model is used to demonstrate that during glacial–interglacial transitions, the temporal evolution of deep calcite marine δ¹⁸O in different locations and at different depths can considerably deviate from that implied by the global ice volume change. This finding indicates that the synchronization of different marine records by means of foraminiferal calcite δ¹⁸O yield large additional uncertainties. Based on our results, we argue that the analysis of leads and lags alone, without a comprehensive understanding and an adequate model of all relevant climate processes, cannot provide direct information about causal relationships in the climate system.     

Climate and the orbital parameters of the Earth

The discovery of glacial ages in the 19th century triggered the first scientific questions on the evolution of climate through time, and thus corresponds to the dawn of palaeoclimatology. Since then, scientists have attempted to reconstruct past climatic changes and to understand their physical basis. Two competing theories have been suggested to explain the sequence of glacial–interglacial epochs: either the variations of the Earth orbital elements, or the atmospheric composition in carbon dioxide. If the astronomical theory has been largely confirmed since the last 30 years, a physical modeling of the climatic processes at work is still in its infancy. Besides, the most recent results of palaeoclimatology are clearly demonstrating that, more than never, a synthesis of these two old hypotheses is needed.     

The Neoproterozoic Malani magmatism of the northwestern Indian shield: implications for crust-building processes

Malani is the largest event of anorogenic felsic magmatism (covering ∼50, 000 km²) in India. This magmatic activity took place at ∼750 Ma post-dating the Erinpura granite (850 Ma) and ended prior to Marwar Supergroup (680 Ma) sedimentation. Malani eruptions occurred mostly on land, but locally sub-aqueous conditions are shown by the presence of conglomerate, grits and pillow lava. The Malani rocks do not show any type of regional deformation effects. The Malanis are characterised by bimodal volcanism with a dominant felsic component, followed by granitic plutonism and a terminal dyke phase. An angular unconformity between Malani lavas and basement is observed, with the presence of conglomerate at Sindreth, Diri, and Kankani. This indicates that the crust was quite stable and peneplained prior to the Malani activity. Similarly, the absence of any thrust zone, tectonic mélange and tectonised contact of the Malanis with the basement goes against a plate subduction setting for their genesis. After the closure of orogenic cycles in the Aravalli craton of the northwestern shield, this anorogenic intraplate magmatic activity took place in a cratonic rift setting under an extensional tectonic regime.     

川西沙鲁里山第四纪冰川及与邻区之对比

沙鲁里山是研究第四纪冰川的最佳场所之一。可划分四个冰期,第一冰期为大陆冰盖,第二、三期及现代冰川为山岳冰川;整体反映第四纪地壳不断抬升,气候不断变暖,冰川不断向高山退缩的过程。     

Relationships between Kuroko volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, felsic volcanism, and island arc development in the northeast Honshu arc, Japan

The northeast (NE) Honshu arc was formed by three major volcano-tectonic events resulting from Late Cenozoic orogenic movement: continental margin volcanism (before 21?Ma), seafloor basaltic lava flows and subsequent bimodal volcanism accompanied by back-arc rifting (21 to 14?Ma), and felsic volcanism related to island arc uplift (12 to 2?Ma). Eight petrotectonic domains, parallel to the NE Honshu arc, were formed as a result of the eastward migration of volcanic activity with time. Major Kuroko volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are located within the eastern marginal rift zone (Kuroko rift) that formed in the final period of back-arc rifting (16 to 14?Ma). Volcanic activity in the NE Honshu arc is divided into six volcanic stages. The eruption volumes of volcanic rocks have gradually decreased from 4,600?km³ (per 1?my for a 200-km-long section along the arc) of basaltic lava flows in the back-arc spreading stage to 1,000?C2,000?km³ of bimodal hyaloclastites in the back-arc rift stage, and about 200?km³ of felsic pumice eruptions in the island arc stage. The Kuroko VMS deposits were formed at the time of abrupt decrease in the eruption volume and change in the mode of occurrence of the volcanic rocks during the final period of back-arc rifting. In the area of the Kuroko rift, felsic volcanism changed from aphyric or weakly plagioclase phyric (before 14?Ma), to quartz and plagioclase phyric with minor clinopyroxene (12 to 8?Ma), to hornblende phyric (after 8?Ma), and hornblende and biotite phyric (after 4?Ma). The Kuroko VMS deposits are closely related to the aphyric rhyolitic activity before 14?Ma. The rhyolite was generated at a relatively high temperature from a highly differentiated part of felsic magma seated at a relatively great depth and contains higher Nb, Ce, and Y contents than the post-Kuroko felsic volcanism. The Kuroko VMS deposits were formed within a specific tectonic setting, at a specific period, and associated with a particular volcanism of the arc evolution process. Therefore, detailed study of the evolutional process from rift opening to island arc tectonics is very important for the exploration of Kuroko-type VMS deposits.     

Development of glacial and interglacial conditions in the Nordic seas between 1.5 and 0.35 Ma

Sedimentological and geochemical proxy records of a deep-sea sediment core from the southern central Nordic seas were used to reconstruct the development of glacial and interglacial conditions during the Early and Middle Pleistocene, i.e., late Matuyama to middle Brunhes Chron (1.5–0.35 Ma). An enhancement of both glacial and interglacial characteristics is observed during early Brunhes oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 16 and 15, respectively. Any intensification of the climatic conditions prior to this, as was previously described for the eastern part of the Nordic seas, is not recognized at our study site. It is further shown that the glacial–interglacial environmental contrasts increased from the early to the middle Bruhnes Chron. Of all glacial periods investigated OIS 12 is characterized by the most severe conditions, showing both maximum input of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) as well as planktic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O values comparable to those of the Last Glacial Maximum. Among the interglaciations, OIS 11 is by far the longest interval and the first to show fully developed interglacial conditions, i.e., Holocene-like δ¹⁸O values and a minimum of IRD deposition. Hence, our comparison supports bottom water δ¹⁸O studies that have indicated the existence of a gradual intensification of glacial–interglacial climate contrasts during the Middle Pleistocene.     

Metacraton: Nature,genesis and behavior

In this paper, we show with examples that cratons involved in intercontinental collisions in a lower plate position are often affected by orogenic events, leading to the transformation of their margins. In some cases, craton interiors can also be shaped by intense collisional processes, leading to the generation of intracratonic orogenic belts. We propose to call these events “metacratonization” and the resulting lithospheric tract “metacraton”. Metacratons can appear similar to typical orogenic belts (i.e. active margin transformed by collisional processes) but are actually sharply different. Their main distinctive characteristics (not all are present in each metacraton) are: (1) absence of pre-collisional events; (2) absence of lithospheric thickening, high-pressure metamorphism being generated by subduction, leading to high gradient in strain and metamorphic intensity; (3) preservation of allochthonous pre-collisional oceanic terranes; (4) abundant post-collisional magmatism associated with shear zones but not with lithospheric thickening; (5) presence of high-temperature–low-pressure metamorphism associated with post-collisional magmatism; (6) intracontinental orogenic belts unrelated to subduction and oceanic basin closures. Reactivation of the rigid but fractured metacratonic lithosphere will cause doming, asthenospheric volcanism emplacement, and mineralizations due to repetitive mineral enrichments. This paper provides several geological cases exemplifying these different metacratonic features in Scandinavia, Sahara, Central Africa and elsewhere. A special focus is given to the Saharan Metacraton because it is where the term “metacraton” originated and it is a vastly expanded tract of continental crust (5,000,000 km²). Metacratonization is a common process in the Earth's history. Considering the metacraton concept in geological studies is crucial for understanding the behavior of cratons and their partial destruction.     

Renewal of deep waters of Lake Baikal revisited

The patterns of renewal of bottom waters in Lake Baikal under the influence of deep convection and intrusion of cold waters have been considered based on the data of temperature surveys of Lake Baikal conducted in 1993–2009. The volumes of the cold bottom layer with the maximums of 200–470 km³ in individual years and the values of its total cooling (−20–60 × 10⁹ MJ) have been determined for South, Middle, and North Baikal. The renewal process is asynchronous and proceeds with different activity in these parts of the lake, which indicates that the mechanisms that cause deep convection in the context of the great latitudinal length and differences in the climate and hydrological processes manifest themselves regionally. The volume of intrusions has been determined. Its average value for the period was higher in South Baikal (20 km³) than in Middle Baikal (9.8 km³) and North Baikal (8.6 km³). The volume of the intrusions in these parts of the lake was 30–70 km³ in some years.     

First cosmogenic 10Be constraints on LGM glaciation on New Zealand's North Island: Park Valley,Tararua Range

We report the first direct ages for late Quaternary glaciation on the North Island of New Zealand. Mt Ruapehu, the volcanic massif in the North Island's centre, is currently glaciated and probably sustained glaciers throughout the late Quaternary, yet no numeric ages have been reported for glacial advances anywhere on the North Island. Here, we describe cosmogenic ¹⁰Be ages of the surface layers of a glacially transported boulder and glacially polished bedrock from the Tararua Range, part of the axial ranges of the North Island. Results indicate that a limited valley glaciation occurred, culminating in recession at the end of the last glacial coldest period (LGCP, ca. 18 ka). This provides an initial age for deglaciation on the North Island during the last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT). It appears that glaciation occurred in response to an equilibrium‐line altitude (ELA) lowering of ～1400 m below the present‐day mean summer freezing level. Ages for glaciation in the Tararua Range correspond closely to exposure ages for the last glacial maximum (LGM) from the lateral moraines of Cascade Valley in the South Island, and in Cobb Valley, in northern South Island. The corollary is that glaciation in the Tararua Range coincided with the phase of maximum cooling during MIS 2, prior to the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR), during the LGCP. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Erosion of the Laurentide region of North America by glacial and glaciofluvial processes

Collection of seismic reflection data from continental margins and ocean basins surrounding North America makes it possible to estimate the amount of material eroded from the area formerly covered by Laurentide ice sheets since major glaciation began in North America. A minimum estimate is made of 1.62 × 10⁶ km³, or an average 120 m of rock physically eroded from the Laurentide region. This figure is an order of magnitude higher than earlier estimates based on the volume of glacial drift, Cenozoic marine sediments, and modern sediment loads of rivers. Most of the sediment produced during Laurentide glaciation has already been transported to the oceans. The importance of continental glaciation as a geomorphic agency in North America may have to be reevaluated. Evidence from sedimentation rates in ocean basins surrounding Greenland and Antarctica suggests that sediment production, sediment transport, and possibly denudation by permanent ice caps may be substantially lower than by periodic ice caps, such as the Laurentide. Low rates of sediment survival from the time of the Permo-Carboniferous and Precambrian glaciations suggest that predominance of marine deposition during some glacial epochs results in shorter lived sediment because of preferential tectonism and cycling of oceanic crust versus continental crust.     

Plio‐Pleistocene increase of erosion rates in mountain belts in response to climate change

Here, we review an ensemble of observations that point towards a global increase of erosion rates in regions of elevated mountain belts, or otherwise high relief, since the onset of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation about 2–3 Ma. During that period of Earth's history, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations may have dropped, and global climate cooled and evolved towards high‐amplitude oscillating conditions that are associated with the waxing and waning of continental ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. We argue for a correlation between climate change and increased erosion rates and relief production, which we attribute to some combination of the observed cooling, onset of glaciation, and climatic oscillation at orbital timescales. In our view, glacial erosion played a major role and is driven by the global cooling. Furthermore, analyses of the sedimentary fluxes of many mountain belts show peaks of erosion during the transitions between glacial and inter‐glacial periods, suggesting that the variable climatic conditions have also played a role.     

Intraplate volcanism in New Zealand: the role of fossil plume material and variable lithospheric properties

The geologic evolution of the New Zealand microcontinent was characterised by intermittent Cretaceous to Quaternary episodes of intraplate volcanism. To evaluate the corresponding mantle evolution beneath New Zealand with a specific focus on the tectonic evolution, we performed a combined major and trace element and Hf, Nd, Pb, Sr isotope investigation on a suite of representative intraplate volcanic rocks from both main islands and the Chatham Islands. Isotopically, the data set covers a range between “HIMU-like” end member compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 20.57, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.77, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7030, εHf: + 3.8, εNd: + 4.2), compositions tending towards MORB (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 19.01, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.62, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7028, εHf: + 9.9, εNd: + 7.0) and compositions reflecting the influence of subducted sediments (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 18.99, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 15.67, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.7037, εHf: + 4.4, εNd: + 3.9). Whereas volcanism on the Chatham Islands constitutes the HIMU end member of our data set, intraplate volcanic rocks from the North Island are dominated by MORB-like compositions with relatively radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb signatures. Volcanic rocks from the South Island form a trend between the three end members. Assuming a polybaric melting column model, the primary melt compositions reflect variations in the degree of melting, coupled to variable average melting depths. As the three isotope and trace element end members occur throughout the volcanic episodes, the “HIMU-like” and the sediment influenced signatures most likely originate from a heterogeneous subcontinental lithospheric mantle, whereas an asthenospheric origin is inferred for the MORB-like component. For the South Island, affinities to HIMU wane with decreasing average melting depths whereas MORB and sediment-like signatures become more distinct. We therefore propose a polybaric melting model involving upper asthenospheric mantle and a lithospheric mantle source that has been modified by subduction components and veins of fossil “HIMU-like” asthenospheric melts. The proportion of asthenospheric versus lithospheric source components is controlled by variations in lithospheric thickness and heat flow, reflecting the different tectonic settings and rates of extension. Generally, low degree melts preferentially tap enriched vein material with HIMU signatures. The widespread occurrence of old Gondwana-derived lithospheric mantle beneath intraplate volcanic fields in East Gondwana is suggested by overall similarities between New Zealand intraplate volcanic rocks and volcanic rocks in East Australia and Antarctica. The petrogenetic model proposed here may therefore serve as a general model for the petrogenesis of Cretaceous to Recent intraplate volcanic rocks in former East Gondwana. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.