New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Radiocarbon age for estuarine shells from Lakelands, Lake Ellesmere (Te
Waihora), New Zealand
MAREE A. HEMMINGSEN
Department of Geography
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch, New Zealand
email: maree@geog.canterbury.ac.nz
Abstract Shells of the estuarine species
Mactra ovata
from Lakelands, Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand give a
14C
Radiocarbon age of 670 +/- 67 B.P. Their occurrence presents a problem as
currently Lake Ellesmere is a brackish lake, separated from the Pacific Ocean
by Kaitorete Barrier, a mixed sand and gravel barrier. According to previous
research this barrier has enclosed a water body behind it in the position of
Lake Ellesmere for up to 8000 years. Since the mid Holocene, at least three
fluctuations between lacustrine and estuarine conditions are thought to have
occurred. These fluctuations are believed to be associated with the avulsion of
the Waimakariri River, to and from Lake Ellesmere. This study adds to the
previous research by providing a timeframe within which one of these estuarine
events occurred.
Keywords Lake Ellesmere; Kaitorete Barrier; Te Waihora
M00073
Received 6 October 2000; accepted 11 December 2000
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2001, Vol. 35:
329-334
0028-8330/01/3502-0329 $7.00 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
2001
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (696K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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