New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics abstracts
Towards a record of Holocene tsunami and storms for northern
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
U. A. Cochran1
K. R. Berryman1
D. C. Mildenhall1
B. W. Hayward2
K. Southall2
C. J. Hollis1
1Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences
P.O. Box 30 368
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
u.cochran@gns.cri.nz
2Geomarine Research
49 Swainston Road
St Johns, Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract Eleven sand layers occur within Holocene
low-energy estuarine and marginal marine sequences of blue-grey silty
clay at two sites on the coastal plain between Wairoa and Mahia
Peninsula, northern Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The sedimentology and
fossil assemblages of these layers are consistent with deposition by
high-energy influxes to the sites. Three influxes are terrestrial in
nature and are thought to represent alluvial flood events. All other
sand layers are marine derived and are likely to be the result of storm
surges or tsunami. Tsunami inundation is favoured for two sand layers
that occur in association with evidence for sudden subsidence at
c. 6300 and c. 4800 yr BP. The c. 6300 yr
inundation also coincides with previously identified evidence for a
tsunami at a site 10 km westwards along the coast. Further
investigation is required to distinguish between tsunami and storm
surge deposition for the remaining six layers.
Keywords Holocene; Wairoa; Mahia Peninsula;
Hawke’s Bay; coastal hazards; floods; microfossils; sedimentology;
storm surges; tsunami
G04033; Received 11 August 2004; accepted 31 March; Online
publication date 22 August 2005
New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 2005, Vol. 48:
507–515
0028–8306/05/4803–0507© The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005
PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality
(559K) | screen-quality (323K)
This year's abstracts |
Journal home page |
All abstracts |
Publishing home page
