Distribution of landslides in southwest New Zealand

This study examines the size distribution of a regional medium-scale inventory of 778 landslides in the mountainous southwest of New Zealand. The spatial density of mapped landslides per unit area can be expressed as a negative power–law function of Landslide area A_L spanning three orders of magnitude (10^–2–10¹ km²). Although observed in other studies on landslide inventories, this relationship is surprising, given the lack of absolute ages, and thus uncertainty about the temporal observation window encompassed by the data. Large slope failures (arbitrarily defined here as having a total affected area A_L>1 km²) constitute 83% of the total affected landslide area A_LT. This dominance by area affects slope morphology, where large-scale landsliding reduces slope angles below the regional modal value of hillslopes, _mod39°. More numerous smaller and shallower failures tend to be superimposed on the pre-existing relief. Empirical scaling relationships show that large landslides involve >10⁶ m³ of material. The volumes V_L of individual preserved and presumably prehistoric (i.e. pre-1840) landslide deposits equate to 10⁰–10² years of total sediment production from shallow landsliding in the respective catchments, and up to 10³ years of contemporary regional sediment yield from the mountain ranges. Their presence in an erosional landscape indicates the geomorphic importance of landslides as temporary local sediment storage.     

Evaluation of coseismic landslide hazard on the proposed Haast-Hollyford Highway,South Island,New Zealand

Coseismic landsliding presents a major hazard to infrastructure in mountains during large earthquakes. This is particularly true for road networks, as historically coseismic landsliding has resulted in road losses larger than those due to ground shaking. Assessing the exposure of current and planned highway links to coseismic landsliding for future earthquake scenarios is therefore vital for disaster risk reduction. This study presents a method to evaluate the exposure of critical infrastructure to landsliding from scenario earthquakes from an underlying quantitative landslide hazard assessment. The method is applied to a proposed new highway link in South Island, New Zealand, for a scenario Alpine Fault earthquake and compared to the current network. Exposure (the likelihood of a network being affected by one or more landslides) is evaluated from a regional-scale coseismic landslide hazard model and assessed on a relative basis from 0 to 1. The results show that the proposed Haast-Hollyford Highway (HHH) would be highly exposed to coseismic landsliding with at least 30–40?km likely to be badly affected (the Simonin Pass route being the worse affected of the two routes). In the current South Island State Highway network, the HHH would be the link most exposed to landsliding and would increase the total network exposure by 50–70% despite increasing the total road length by just 3%. The present work is intended to provide an effective method to assess coseismic landslide hazard of infrastructure in mountains with seismic hazard, and potentially identify mitigation options and critical network segments.     

The role of rainfall in the landslide hazard: the case of the Avigliano urban area (Southern Apennines, Italy)

Mass movements varying in type and size, some of which are periodically reactivated, affect the urban area of Avigliano. The disturbed and remoulded masses consist of sandy–silty or silty–clayey plastic material interbedded with stone fragments and conglomerate blocks. Five landslides that were markedly liable to rainfall-associated instability phenomena were selected.

The relationships between landslides and rainfall were investigated using a hydrological and statistical model based on long-term series of daily rainfall data. The model was used to determine the return period of cumulative daily rainfall over 1–180 days. The resulting hydrological and statistical findings are discussed with the aim of identifying the rainfall duration most critical to landslides.

The concept of a precipitation threshold was generalized by defining some probability classes of cumulative rainfall. These classes indicate the thresholds beyond which reactivation is likely to occur. The probability classes are defined according to the return period of the cumulative rainfall concomitant with landslide reactivation.     

Heavy metal history from cores in Wellington Harbour,New Zealand

Analysis of ten heavy metals (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Zn) in six sediment cores from Wellington Harbour show both anthropogenic enrichments and diagenetic modifications. Absolute concentrations determined by two methods, x-ray fluorescence and acid leaching for bioavailability, are not comparable. However, vertical trends in concentrations of the cored sediment are comparable. To assess levels of anthropogenic pollution, enrichment factors (enriched concentrations in upper core divided by background levels in lower core) are preferred over index of accumulation (I _geo) values because preindustrial or background levels of heavy metals are well constrained. The ten metals are placed into three groups: (1) Cu, Pb, and Zn, which show the most anthropogenic enrichment; (2) As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Sb, which are often associated with anthropogenic pollution but show only minor enrichment; and (3) Fe and Mn, which are diagenetically enriched. Assuming harbor waters are well mixed, anthropogenic enrichments of Cu, Pb, and Zn, are time correlative, but the degree of enrichment depends on the method of analysis and core location. Levels of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn show small variations in preindustrial sediments that are not related to changes in grain size and probably result from changes in the oxidation-reduction potential of the sediments and salinity of the pore waters.     

The geotechnical effects of long human habitation (2000< years): Earthquake induced landslide hazard in the city of Zefat, northern Israel

This work studies the effects of long human habitation on site geotechnical conditions. It is focused on the city of Zefat that is located on the borders of the Dead Sea Transform in northern Israel. The city of Zefat, suffered severe damage and loss of life in historical earthquakes, as a consequence of earthquake induced landslides (EILS). In this work we evaluate the current EILS hazard for the city of Zefat using a GIS-based regional Newmark analysis, with calibration of the calculated Newmark displacement (representing EILS hazard) using maps of field evidence and historical documents testifying to slope instability that occurred in historical earthquakes.

We found that the core city of Zefat is built on a layered anthropogenic material, few meters deep which, was deposited as a result of more than 2000 years of human habitation. The anthropogenic material is mechanically weak, susceptible to slope failure and to amplification of seismic-shaking. It is responsible for the city's devastation in historical earthquakes and it is the source for the current high seismic hazard as well.

Our model shows that earthquakes of magnitudes (M_w) 5, 6 and 7 at distances of up to 10 km, 50 km and more than 100 km, respectively, are likely to induce landslides in the core city of Zefat. The current engineering status of the city is poor, and as a consequence severe damage and loss of life are expected in future earthquakes due to EILS, unless major engineering efforts are made. Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean with comparable long habitation histories (e.g., Jerusalem, Tiberias, Nablus, Amman) are expected to have similar geotechnical problems in their old sections and are advised to take appropriate engineering steps to reduce damage and loss of life in future earthquakes.

Evaluation of historical earthquake magnitudes based on reported local-damage may, however, lead to overestimated magnitudes where the damaged sites are built on anthropogenic talus (a common setting in the vicinity of the Dead Sea Transform).     

Distribution of contourite drifts on convergent margins: Examples from the Hikurangi subduction margin of New Zealand

Contourite drift systems form a significant component of the marine clastic sedimentary record. Although contourites form in all tectonic settings, few studies have described their development along convergent margins; such characterization is needed to underpin oceanographic and palaeoenvironmental studies in active settings. This study is the first to document contourite drift development along the Hikurangi subduction margin of New Zealand. Integration of bathymetric, seismic and well data enables five classes of drift to be recognized around the subduction wedge, occurring in three principal associations: (i) an upper slope drift association of giant elongate mounded (ca 150 km long, 50 km wide and up to 1100 m thick) and plastered drifts (ca 300 km long, 8 km wide and <600 m thick), which occurs upon and inboard of a major intrabasinal thrust‐cored high, whose long axis parallels the coast; shallow bottom currents disperse sub‐parallel to this axis; (ii) a spatiotemporally discontinuous association of confined and mounded hybrid drifts (ca 500 m long, <2 km wide and up to 500 m thick) that occurs along the mid‐to‐outer slope domain of the wedge, recording the interaction of along‐slope and downslope currents within trench‐slope basins; and (iii) a trench fill assemblage that implies the passage of abyssal bottom currents across a 40 km reach of the trench‐axial Hikurangi Channel‐levée, with associated modification of the channel form and of overbank sediment waves. The fundamental presence of contourites along this margin appears to depend on the orientation and strength of oceanographic bottom currents. However, drift type and evolution vary depending on the slope gradient and the presence of irregular seafloor topography created by tectonic structures. The documented drifts are generally smaller, less continuous, and develop more intermittently than similar styles of drifts documented on passive margins; this mode of occurrence may be characteristic of contourite development on convergent margins.     

Evidence for Early Miocene wrench faulting in the Marlborough Fault System,New Zealand: structural implications

Abstract

In New Zealand, the Marlborough strike-slip faults link the Hikurangi subduction zone to the Alpine fault collision zone. Stratigraphic and structural analysis in the Marlborough region constrain the inception of the current strike-slip tectonics.

Six major Neogene basins are investigated. Their infill is composed of marine and freshwater sediments up to 3 km thick; they are characterised by coarse facies derived from the basins bounding relief, high sedimentation rates and asymmetric geometries. Proposed factors that controlled the basins generation are the initial geometry of the strike-slip faults and the progressive strike-slip motion. Two groups of basins are presented: the early Miocene (23 My) basins were generated under wrench tectonics above releasing-jogs between basement faults. The late Miocene (11 My) basins were initiated by halfgrabens tilted along straighter faults during a transtensive stage. Development of faults during Cretaceous to Oligocene times facilitated the following propagation of wrench tectonics. The Pliocene (5 My) to current increasing convergence has shortened the basins and distorted the Miocene array of faults. This study indicates that the Marlborough Fault System is an old feature that connected part of the Hikurangi margin to the Alpine fault since the subduction and collision initiation. © Elsevier, Paris     

The role of tectonism in sequence development and facies distribution of Upper Oligocene cool-water carbonates: Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

The Torehina Formation is part of a cool‐water carbonate succession of Oligocene age in New Zealand that crops out on the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island. It contains two major transgressive sequences that record successive onlap of a once emergent landmass. The first sequence records marine flooding of non‐marine to marginal marine fan delta/estuarine facies, followed by deepening upward and formation of a low‐energy, deep (100+ m) muddy carbonate ramp. The capping sequence boundary is characterized by differential uplift and varies considerably in its character over a small (9 km²) area, varying from a burrowed glauconitic firmground to an erosional hardground to an undulatory marine contact to a palaeokarst with < 25 m relief. Sequence 2 sediments, which overlie the palaeokarst with minor (< 10°) angular unconformity, are clayey, marine (offshore) siltstones, whereas open‐marine limestones of equivalent age overlie the other boundary types with no apparent angular discordance. The siliciclastics could either represent lowstand channel deposits or may define interbank deposits contemporary with adjacent carbonates. Palaeogeographic restriction of palaeokarst and sequence 2 siliciclastics identifies a structural corridor oriented strike‐parallel to the adjacent Harauki Graben, which began to develop by this time. Palaeogeographical differences in the character of the basal limestone facies of sequence 2 also occur. These differences identify variation in accommodation during initial stages of deposition imposed by previous differential movement of fault blocks. As a result, relatively warm‐water (20 °C) Amphistegina‐bearing limestones in one area contrast with co‐existing deeper water, silty foraminiferal (benthic > planktic), echinoderm and bivalve limestones in another. This variation disappears upsection, which suggests that initial bathymetric differences were eliminated with renewed rise in sea level, yielding deeper water inner‐shelf sediment facies followed by the accumulation of still deeper, but higher energy, outer‐shelf bivalve and bryozoan facies. The sequence architecture of the Torehina Formation is controlled by tectonism, both long‐term subsidence and short‐term differential uplift. This arose as a result of increasing tectonic activity throughout proto‐New Zealand during the Late Oligocene. In such a system, local and regional variation in tectonism among adjacent basins can impose subtle to marked differences in the timing of sequence boundaries and the character of basin‐fill patterns.     

Leaching of inorganics in the Cretaceous Greymouth coal beds, South Island, New Zealand

Leaching processes are believed to be responsible for the unusually low-ash content (sometimes less than 1%) of the thick (up to 35 m) Cretaceous coals located in the Greymouth coalfield, South Island, New Zealand. Although leaching of inorganics in peat is a generally accepted process, little is known about leaching after burial. The “Main” and “E” seams in the Greymouth coalfield show good correlation between low ash and bed thickness. The ash content, however, is often less than 1%, which is lower than most known modern analogues (i.e. peat). There are several lines of evidence that suggest that mineral matter may have been removed from the coal not only in the peat stage but also after burial. For example, etching features found in quartz grains and clay aggregates indicate that some leaching processes have taken place. In addition, liptinitic material (e.g., bitumen) in the cleat networks supports the conclusion that there has been some movement of solutions through the coal after burial. These solutions may have helped to remove some of the inorganics originally within the Greymouth coals.     

新西兰科罗曼德尔半岛金（铜）矿床地质特征、成因及找矿意义

新西兰科罗曼德尔半岛火山岩带是世界知名的浅成低温热液型金矿成矿省,也是新西兰最为重要的金银矿矿集区,在环太平洋成矿带内占有重要的地位。科罗曼德尔半岛浅成低温热液型金矿主要赋存于科罗曼德尔群中新世安山岩和英安岩中,矿化类型主要为石英脉型和角砾岩型2种。矿床的成矿流体特征表现出明显的大气降水特征,并显示有少量的岩浆水加入,成矿物质具岩浆来源特征,为石英±方解石±冰长石±伊利石亚型浅成低温热液型金矿。区内金矿成矿时代为16.3~2.0Ma,主要集中于7.0~6.0Ma之间,金矿的大规模形成与诺特兰德火山弧与科尔维—劳火山弧共同作用有关,区域构造背景由挤压转变为伸展环境的转折期,为金矿形成的高峰期。区内零星出露与浅成低温热液型金矿化有关的斑岩型铜矿化表明,该地区具有较好的斑岩型铜矿化潜力。     

The consumption of space: Land, capital and place in the New Zealand wine industry

Geographers have developed a keen interest in the social production of space - in the way meanings and values are ascribed to places as a result of changing social, cultural and political processes. There is a need to explore this approach further, seeing how social and economic values of places are inter-related and how these values are constructed in often deliberate and concerted ways. There is also a need to explore how such values are consumed: how the values in place are traded, appropriated and redistributed, both through the products of places and in land markets. This paper examines the New Zealand wine industry where certain wine regions have been identified and developed in ways which attempt to emphasise their distinctiveness in terms of wine quality and thus enhance the value of the wine produced. Different strategies have been employed in this process of place construction and this reflects the differential role of capital, striving on the one hand to increase the price and marketability of the products of distinctive places but, on the other, careful not to over-inflate land values and thus restrict further expansion. The paper suggests that the issue of consumption of space, involving a complex relationship amongst land, capital and place, is worthy of further exploration.     

新西兰科罗曼德尔半岛金（铜）矿床地质特征、成因及找矿意义

新西兰科罗曼德尔半岛火山岩带是世界知名的浅成低温热液型金矿成矿省,也是新西兰最为重要的金银矿矿集区,在环太平洋成矿带内占有重要的地位。科罗曼德尔半岛浅成低温热液型金矿主要赋存于科罗曼德尔群中新世安山岩和英安岩中,矿化类型主要为石英脉型和角砾岩型2种。矿床的成矿流体特征表现出明显的大气降水特征,并显示有少量的岩浆水加入,成矿物质具岩浆来源特征,为石英±方解石±冰长石±伊利石亚型浅成低温热液型金矿。区内金矿成矿时代为16．3-2．0Ma,主要集中于7．0-6．0Ma之间,金矿的大规模形成与诺特兰德火山弧与科尔维一劳火山弧共同作用有关,区域构造背景由挤压转变为伸展环境的转折期,为金矿形成的高峰期。区内零星出露与浅成低温热液型金矿化有关的斑岩型铜矿化表明,该地区具有较好的斑岩型铜矿化潜力。     

Evolution of Cretaceous–Cenozoic quartz pebble conglomerate gold placers during basin formation and inversion, southern New Zealand

Numerous auriferous fluvial quartz pebble conglomerates (QPCs) are present within the Late Cretaceous–Recent sedimentary sequence in southern New Zealand. The QPCs formed in low-relief settings before, during, and after regional marine transgression, in alluvial fan and a variety of fluvial and near-shore depositional settings: In particular, during slow thermal subsidence associated with Late Cretaceous–early Cenozoic rifting, and during the early stages of orogenic uplift following mid Cenozoic marine regression. QPC maturity characteristics are complex and vary with sediment transport and recycling history, stratigraphic proximity to the transgressive Waipounamu Erosion Surface, and the amount of first-cycle detritus incorporated during recycling. For pre-marine QPCs, the amount of first cycle detritus varies with tectonic intensity and proximity of the depositional setting to remnant Cretaceous topography. For post-marine QPCs, it varies with tectonic intensity and proximity to Late Cenozoic uplift of basement ranges.QPCs do not form during a single bedrock erosion–sediment deposition cycle: Non-oxidised and/or oxidized groundwater alteration (kaolinisation) of labile minerals in immature sediment and the upper part of underlying basement, and repeated sedimentary recycling, are fundamental processes of QPC formation regardless of the tectonic or sedimentary settings. Altered immature rock disaggregates easily upon erosion, and alteration clays are winnowed to leave quartz-rich residues containing resistant heavy minerals such as zircon and gold. Detrital sulfide survives recycling if deposition and burial in saturated sediments are rapid. QPCs result only if sediment recycling is not accompanied by excessive erosion of fresh basement rock. Uplift of many parts of the Otago Schist belt since late Miocene has raised rocks above the water table, increased erosion rates, and inhibited groundwater alteration and QPC formation. QPC formation is still occurring in Southland, where the water table is high, sediments are saturated and undergoing alteration, and uplift and erosion rates, topography, and fluvial gradients are all low. The QPCs accumulate as residual gravel on the valley floors of low-competence streams that are slowly incising pervasively altered dominantly late Miocene–Pliocene immature conglomerates.QPCs formation essentially represents physical and chemical lagging of precursor strata. Accumulation of detrital gold and other heavy minerals is an inevitable consequence, and most QPCs contain some gold. Three types of significant gold placer have developed in the QPCs. Type 1 placers are essentially eluvial and/or colluvial in origin and form without significant fluvial transport, by residual accumulation in low-competence valleys during low-rate uplift, fluvial incision and QPC formation. Type 2 placers have formed during significant fluvial transport and subsequent fluvial incision, mainly in higher energy proximal and medial reaches of larger pre-marine (Eocene) and post-marine fluvial systems. Type 3 placers formed by wave-base and marine current winnowing in the shallow shelf setting during low-rate regional marine transgression, especially in the Eocene.     

Integration of zircon color and zircon fission-track zonation patterns in orogenic belts: application to the Southern Alps, New Zealand

An exhumed crustal section of the Mesozoic Torlesse terrane underlies the Southern Alps collision zone in New Zealand. Since the Late Miocene, oblique horizontal shortening has formed the northeastern–southwestern trending orogen and exhumed the crustal section within it. On the eastern side, rocks are zeolite- to prehnite–pumpellyite-grade greywacke; on the western side rocks, they have the same protolith, but are greenschist to amphibolite facies of the Alpine Schist. Zircon crystals from sediments in east-flowing rivers (hinterland) have pre-orogenic fission-track ages (>80 Ma) and are dominated by pink, radiation-damaged grains (up to 60%). These zircons are derived from the upper 10 km crustal section (unreset FT color zone) that includes the Late Cenozoic zircon partial annealing zone; both fission tracks and color remain intact and unaffected by orogenesis. Many zircon crystals from sediments in west-flowing rivers (foreland) have synorogenic FT ages, and about 80% are colorless due to thermal annealing. They have been derived from rocks that originally lay in the reset FT color zone and the underlying reset FT colorless zone. The reset FT color zone occurs between 250 and 400 °C. In this zone, zircon crystals have color but reset FT ages that reflect the timing of orogenesis.     

Distribution and assessment of sediment toxicity in Tamaki Estuary,Auckland, New Zealand

Heavy metal levels in surface sediments from Tamaki Estuary demonstrate significant up estuary increases in Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and mud concentrations. Increased metal levels towards the head of the estuary are linked to local catchment sources reflecting the historical development, industrialisation and urbanisation of catchment areas surrounding the upper estuary. The relatively narrow constriction in the middle estuary (Panmure area), makes it susceptible to accumulation of upper estuary pollutants, since the constriction reduces circulation and extends the time required for fine waterborne sediments in the upper estuary to exchange with fresh coastal water. As a result fine fraction sediments trapped in the upper estuary facilitate capture and retention of pollutants at the head of the estuary. The increase in sandy mud poor sediments towards the mouth of the estuary is associated with generally low metal concentrations. The estuary’s geomorphic shape with a mid estuary constriction, sediment texture and mineralogy and catchment history are significant factors in understanding the overall spatial distribution of contaminants in the estuary. Bulk concentration values for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in all the studied surface samples occur below ANZECC ISQG-H toxicity values. Cd and Cu concentrations are also below the ISQG-L toxicity levels for these elements. However, Pb and Zn concentrations do exceed the ISQG-L values in some of the surface bulk samples in the upper estuary proximal to long established sources of catchment pollution.     

On the sensitivity of Holocene talus-derived rock glaciers to climate change in the Ben Ohau Range,New Zealand

The morphology and surface ages of talus-derived rock glaciers are investigated to establish the timing of rock glacier formation in the central Southern Alps. Samples of rock weathering rinds show that all rock glaciers studied were formed during the Neoglacial period, but differences exist between sites in the number of new rock glacier lobes formed by Holocene climatic fluctuations. A qualitative conceptual model is proposed to explain rock glacier formation in terms of two thresholds. An external threshold relates to the presence of a cool climate capable of allowing internal ice to form within talus slopes. An internal threshold relates to the presence of sufficiently thick talus at a site to generate a shear stress capable of overcoming internal friction within the talus/ice mass. The model produces a non-steady-state response to explain why unmodified talus, single-lobed and double-lobed rock glaciers developed at adjacent sites under the same climatic regime. Individual landforms have different sensitivities to formation, which depend partly on the previous history of talus accumulation and rock glacier activity at a site. The model demonstrates how successive cool climate periods may be fully represented by rock glacier lobes at sensitive sites but under-represented at insensitive sites. Sensitivity (and therefore climatic representativeness) is favoured by high rates of debris supply. By implication, the timing of formation of rock glacier lobes in regions of prolonged cool climate and low debris production is less likely to correspond to the timing of climatic cooling and more likely to follow the ‘rules’ of deterministic chaos.     

The effect of crustal anisotropy on reflector depth and velocity determination from wide-angle seismic data: a synthetic example based on South Island, New Zealand

When deriving velocity models by forward modelling or inverting travel time arrivals from seismic refraction data, a heterogeneous but isotropic earth is usually assumed. In regions where the earth is not isotropic at the scale at which it is being sampled, the assumption of isotropy can lead to significant errors in the velocities determined for the crust and the depths calculated to reflecting boundaries. Laboratory velocity measurements on rocks collected from the Haast Schist terrane of South Island, New Zealand, show significant (up to 20%) compressional (P) wave velocity anisotropy. Field data collected parallel and perpendicular to the foliation of the Haast Schist exhibit as much as 11% P-wave velocity anisotropy. We demonstrate, using finite-difference full-wavefield modelling, the types of errors and problems that might be encountered if isotropic methods are used to create velocity models from data collected in anisotropic regions. These reflector depth errors could be as much as 10–15% for a 10-km thick layer with significant (20%) P-wave velocity anisotropy. The implications for South Island, New Zealand, where the problem is compounded by extreme orientations of highly anisotropic rocks (foliation which varies from horizontal to near vertical), are considered. Finally, we discuss how the presence of a significant subsurface anisotropic body might manifest itself in wide-angle reflection/refraction and passive seismic datasets, and suggest ways in which such datasets may be used to determine the presence and extent of such anisotropic bodies.     

Delineation of a landfill leachate plume and flow channels in coastal sands near Christchurch, New Zealand, using a shallow electromagnetic survey method

The Burwood landfill, which serves the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, is situated on coastal sands underlain by a sequence of aquifers and aquitards. Groundwater flow is toward the coast, located approximately 700 m from the landfill boundary. Shortly after completion of the first phase of the landfill, an array of wells was installed to detect any contaminant from the landfill. Leachate was detected in the wells closest to the landfill. A shallow electromagnetic (EM31) survey was carried out between the landfill and the coast, in order to delineate any leachate plume that may be present. On the basis of the geophysical results, a contaminant plume and buried channels connected to the coast were identified. Leachate flow initially occurs in what is probably a channel or pair of channels. Downgradient, the plume spreads out to the north and south as it moves eastward toward the coast. Using the geophysical results as a guide, a new set of wells was installed to confirm the presence of high leachate concentrations. Pore-water sampling confirms the presence of a leachate plume. Received, June 1998 /Revised, March 1999, January 2000/Accepted, January 2000     

A multi‐proxy record of changing environments from ca. 30 000 to 9000 cal. a BP: Onepoto maar palaeolake,Auckland, New Zealand

We present a high‐resolution record of lacustrine sedimentation spanning ca. 30 000 to 9000 cal. a BP from Onepoto maar, northern North Island, New Zealand. The multi‐proxy record of environmental change is constrained by tephrochronology and accelerator mass spectrometric ¹⁴C ages and provides evidence for episodes of rapid environmental change during the Last Glacial Coldest Period (LGCP) and Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT) from northern New Zealand. The multi‐proxy palaeoenvironmental record from Onepoto indicates that the LGCP was cold, dry and windy in the Auckland region, with vegetation dominated by herb and grass in a beech forest mosaic between ca. 28 500 and 18 000 cal. a BP. The LGCP was accompanied by more frequent fires and influx of clastic sediment indicating increased erosion during the LGCP, with a mid‐LGCP interstadial identified between ca. 25 000 and 23 000 cal. a BP. Rapid climate amelioration at ca. 18 000 cal. a BP was accompanied by increased terrestrial biomass exemplified by the expansion of lowland podocarp forest, especially Dacrydium cupressinum. Increasing biomass production is reversed briefly by LGIT perturbations which are apparent in many of the proxies that span ca. 14 000–10 500 cal. a BP, suggesting generally increased wetness and higher in situ aquatic plant productivity with reduced terrestrial organic matter and terrigenous detrital influx. Furthermore, conditions at that time were probably warmer and frosts rare based on the increasing importance of Ascarina. The subsequent early Holocene is characterised by podocarp conifer forest and moist mild conditions. Postglacial sea‐level rise breached the crater rim and deposited 36 m of estuarine mud after ca. 9000 cal. a BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A terrestrial record of Last Interglacial climate preserved by voluminous debris avalanche inundation in Taranaki,New Zealand

At Airedale Reef, western North Island, New Zealand, a ca. 4 m thick volcanogenic debris avalanche deposit has facilitated the preservation of an enveloping sequence of peats with interbedded andesitic tephras spanning marine isotope (MIS) 5. The sequence closely overlies a wave‐cut terrace correlated to MIS 5e and, in turn, is overlain by andic beds with tephra interbeds including the Rotoehu and Kawakawa tephras deposited during early MIS 3 and mid‐MIS 2, respectively. Pollen analysis of the organic sequence shows a coherent pattern of fluctuating climate for the Last Interglacial–Last Glacial transition that corresponds with marine isotope stratigraphy and supports the contention that orbital variations were a primary factor in late Quaternary southern mid‐latitude climate change. A five‐stage subdivision of MIS 5 is clearly recognised, with marine isotope substage (MISS) 5b drier than MISS 5d, and the cooling transition from 5a to MIS 4 also may have been comparatively dry and characterised by natural fire, perhaps associated with volcanism. Several other examples of volcanic impact on vegetation and the landscape are evident. The Airedale Reef sequence exhibits strong similarities with fragmentary MIS 5 pollen records preserved elsewhere in New Zealand and enables the proxy record of southern mid‐latitude climatic variability during the Last Interglacial–Glacial cycle to be extended. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.