Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
A Late Quaternary palynological and sedimentological record from two coastal
swamps at southern Kaitoke, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand.
M. Horrocks1, J. Ogden2, S. L. Nichol3, B.
V. Alloway4, D. G. Sutton1
1 Centre for Archaeological Research, University of
Auckland, Private Bag 92-010, Auckland, New Zealand
2 School of Environmental & Marine Sciences, University of
Auckland, Private Bag 92-019, Auckland, New Zealand
3 Department of Geography, University of Auckland, Private Bag
92-019, Auckland, New Zealand
4 Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences, Private Bag
2000, Taupo, New Zealand
Pollen and sediment analyses of two cores from southern Kaitoke (Forsythes'
Paddock and Blackwells' Bush), Great Barrier Island, show that at c. 7500 cal.
yr B.P., the area was an estuary with tidal flats and
Avicennia. By c.
3000 cal. yr B.P., a Restionaceae (
Leptocarpus) salt marsh had developed
in the estuary as marine influences lessened. By c. cal. 2550 yr B.P., fresh
water swamp (Cyperaceae-
Gleichenia-Leptospermum) had replaced the salt
marsh. Conifer-hardwood forest surrounding the southern Kaitoke sites from c.
7500-c. 2800 cal. yr B.P. was dominated by
Dacrydium, Metrosideros and
Libocedrus. After c. 2800 cal. yr B.P.,
Metrosideros was replaced
by
Agathis,
Phyllocladus and
Prumnopitys taxifolia,
suggesting climatic change to more variable conditions. The presence of the
Kaharoa Tephra suggests that major Polynesian deforestation at southern Kaitoke
began c. 600 cal. yr B.P. Minor pre-Kaharoa fire disturbance is evident c. 1750
cal. yr B.P. and c. 1290-970 cal. yr B.P.
Keywords palynology; sedimentology; Late Quaternary;
Holocene; coastal geomorphology; disturbance; Kaharoa Tephra; Rotoehu Tephra;
Great Barrier Island
(c) Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand,
Volume 30, Number 1, March 2000, pp 49-68
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1116K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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