The Tectonic Evolution of Pegasus Basin and the Hikurangi Trench, Offshore New Zealand

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Tectonic Evolution of Pegasus Basin and the Hikurangi Trench, Offshore New Zealand THE TECTONIC EVOLUTION OF PEGASUS BASIN AND THE HIKURANGI TRENCH, OFFSHORE NEW ZEALAND by Sarah E. King A thesis submitted to the Faculty and the Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines in partial fulillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Geology). Golden, Colorado Date:_________________ Signed:_________________________ Sarah E. King Signed:_________________________ Dr. Bruce Trudgill Thesis Advisor Golden, Colorado Date _________________ Signed:_________________________ Dr. M. Stephen Enders Professor and Interim Department Head Department of Geology and Geological Engineering ii ABSTRACT The Pegasus Basin overlies part of the tectonic transition between oblique southwest subduction of the Paciic Plate below the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and the strike-slip faulting that dominates the majority of the South Island of New Zealand. The transition from this strike-slip zone into the actively subducting Hikurangi Trench requires a signiicant translation of plate motion from margin parallel to margin normal within the Pegasus Basin. The purpose of this research was to understand the distribution of strain along this complex transition, and to identify how shortening is manifested on structures through time. The diferent stress regimes along the coast may correspond to diferent shortening amounts absorbed on a variety of structures that translate strain accommodation through the major tectonic transition from compressional subduction to strike-slip displacement. Interpretations of 2D seismic proiles guided by models of margins with comparable tectonic settings ensure geologically restorable interpretations and reasonable shortening values within this transition zone. Restorations of depth converted seismic cross sections constrain ages of the faults and establish controls on their timing and activation. Complexities such as a rotating forearc, a southern migrating subduction zone, and a strike-slip zone further complicate restorations past the late Pliocene-Quaternary aged sediments. Shortening values acquired from restorations align with shortening values from other studies in the area, and also align with estimates based of of the current plate motion vector movement. Economic interest in the Pegasus Basin is primarily petroleum based. Though the basin has not been tested, active seeps, pockmarks, gas chimneys, and surface slicks are numerous within the Pegasus Basin. Structural interpretation, and modelling of potential hydrocarbon accumulations and the implied luid pathways impact the feasibility of exploration and development of hydrocarbons in the Pegasus Basin. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................1 CHAPTER 2 - GEOLOGIC SETTING ............................................3 2.1 Stratigraphy ..........................................................7 2.2 Structural Evolution ...................................................9 2.3 Petroleum System ....................................................12 2.3.1 Reservoirs and Seals ...............................................12 2.3.2 Gas Hydrates .....................................................13 2.3.3 Seeps and Slicks ..................................................14 CHAPTER 3 - DATA RESOURCES .............................................16 3.1 Seismic Data ........................................................16 3.2 Well Data. 16 3.3 Earthquake Data .....................................................19 3.4 Alternate Data .......................................................21 CHAPTER 4 - SEISMIC INTERPRETATION ....................................23 4.1 Horizon Interpretation ................................................23 4.1.1 R8 (Basement) ...................................................24 4.1.2 R7 .............................................................24 4.1.3 R6 .............................................................25 iv 4.1.4 R5C ...........................................................25 4.1.5 R5B ...........................................................26 4.1.6 R5 .............................................................26 4.1.7 R3 and R4 ......................................................26 4.1.8 R0 .............................................................26 4.1.9 Torlesse Supergroup ...............................................27 4.2 Time Depth Conversion ...............................................27 4.3 Fault Interpretation ...................................................28 4.4 Model Based Interpretation .............................................29 4.5 Alternative Interpretations .............................................35 CHAPTER 5 - RESTORATIONS ...............................................37 5.1 Worklow ...........................................................37 5.2 Kinematics in Move ..................................................39 5.2.1 Trishear .........................................................40 5.2.2 Fault Parallel Flow ................................................41 5.2.3 Flexural Slip Unfolding ............................................41 5.3 Results .............................................................45 CHAPTER 6 - DISCUSSION ..................................................47 6.1 Comparison of Shortening Values. 47 6.1.1 Comparison at 2Ma ...............................................47 6.1.2 Comparison at 5Ma ...............................................48 6.1.3 Plate Motion Vector Comparisons ....................................52 v 6.1.4 Active Fault Motion Comparison .....................................53 6.2 Rotation Accommodation ..............................................54 6.3 Petroleum and Modelling Implications ....................................56 6.3.1 Gas Hydrate Modelling ............................................57 6.3.2 Pore Pressure Modelling ............................................58 6.4 Error ..............................................................58 6.5 Megathrust Earthquakes ...............................................60 6.6 Accretionary Wedges Worldwide ........................................62 CHAPTER 7 - CONCLUSIONS ................................................64 7.1 Future Work ........................................................65 REFERENCES ...............................................................67 APPENDIX A ................................................................73 APPENDIX B ................................................................78 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 An overview of the geologic setting of the islands of New Zealand. Bathymetry, provided by NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atomic Research), shows that the mini continent called “Zealandia” extends as shallow submarine continental crust, much further than the islands of New Zealand, which are outlined in blue. Plate motion vectors demonstrate the direction and magnitude of movement of the Paciic Plate relative to the Australian plate per year. The plate boundary (black lines) moves from subduction in the north, to the strike slip zone along the South Island, and back to subduction south of the islands of New Zealand (Modiied from Uruski & Bland 2011). .............3 Figure 2.2 Faults within the study area are colored to demonstrate zones of extension and compression in various parts of the both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Pegasus Basin is shown in purple, and covers the area that transitions from the subduction thrust into the Marlborough Fault Array along the northern South Island. ..............................................5 Figure2.3 Crosssection A-A’, location shown in (Figure 2.2). .........................6 Figure 2.4 General chronostratigraphy of New Zealand with transects from the Marlborough region to the Wairarapa region. Compiled from Uruski & Bland (2011), Wood et al. (1989), Field & Uruski et al., (1997), Lee & Begg (2002), Rattenbury et al. (2006), and references therein. ....................................8 Figure 2.5 Possible reconstructions of the New Zealand plate boundaries, and the location of Pegasus Basin through time, compiled from Nicol et al. (2007) and Uruski & Bland (2011) and references therein. A. Gondwana subduction zone with location of landmasses and sedimentary basins. B. The New Zealand Gondwana sector pulls apart from Australia and Antarctica. C. A period of tectonic quiescence for Pegasus Basin. D. Paleogene and Neogene tectonic development E. Modern plate boundaries form around New Zealand (40Ma). The Emerald Basin started to open, rifting is widespread in New Zealand, and there was compression in the northwest, in the Reinga and outer Taranaki basins. F. Development of the Alpine Fault is formed, and the present subduction zone begins, and rotation of the plates begins. G. Subduction zone has rotated from NW-SE to NE-SE and motion vectors indicate signiicant rotation around poles. H. Present day tectonic setting. ...................10 Figure 2.6 A. Schematic of luid pathways within a thrust and anticline in the Pegasus Basin. Taken from Barnes et al., (2010). B. Section of seismic time proile PEG019 demonstrating the strong BSR in the area, and the underlying thrust responsible for the anticlinal trap, and the
Recommended publications
  • Hikurangi Plateau: Crustal Structure, Rifted Formation, and Gondwana Subduction History
    Article Geochemistry 3 Volume 9, Number 7 Geophysics 3 July 2008 Q07004, doi:10.1029/2007GC001855 GeosystemsG G ISSN: 1525-2027 AN ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE EARTH SCIENCES Published by AGU and the Geochemical Society Click Here for Full Article Hikurangi Plateau: Crustal structure, rifted formation, and Gondwana subduction history Bryan Davy Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, P.O. Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand ([email protected]) Kaj Hoernle IFM-GEOMAR, Wischhofstraße 1-3, D-24148 Kiel, Germany Reinhard Werner Tethys Geoconsulting GmbH, Wischhofstraße 1-3, D-24148 Kiel, Germany [1] Seismic reflection profiles across the Hikurangi Plateau Large Igneous Province and adjacent margins reveal the faulted volcanic basement and overlying Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary units as well as the structure of the paleoconvergent Gondwana margin at the southern plateau limit. The Hikurangi Plateau crust can be traced 50–100 km southward beneath the Chatham Rise where subduction cessation timing and geometry are interpreted to be variable along the margin. A model fit of the Hikurangi Plateau back against the Manihiki Plateau aligns the Manihiki Scarp with the eastern margin of the Rekohu Embayment. Extensional and rotated block faults which formed during the breakup of the combined Manihiki- Hikurangi plateau are interpreted in seismic sections of the Hikurangi Plateau basement. Guyots and ridge- like seamounts which are widely scattered across the Hikurangi Plateau are interpreted to have formed at 99–89 Ma immediately following Hikurangi Plateau jamming of the Gondwana convergent margin at 100 Ma. Volcanism from this period cannot be separately resolved in the seismic reflection data from basement volcanism; hence seamount formation during Manihiki-Hikurangi Plateau emplacement and breakup (125–120 Ma) cannot be ruled out.
    [Show full text]
  • Playing Jigsaw with Large Igneous Provinces a Plate Tectonic
    PUBLICATIONS Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems RESEARCH ARTICLE Playing jigsaw with Large Igneous Provinces—A plate tectonic 10.1002/2015GC006036 reconstruction of Ontong Java Nui, West Pacific Key Points: Katharina Hochmuth1, Karsten Gohl1, and Gabriele Uenzelmann-Neben1 New plate kinematic reconstruction of the western Pacific during the 1Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum fur€ Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany Cretaceous Detailed breakup scenario of the ‘‘Super’’-Large Igneous Province Abstract The three largest Large Igneous Provinces (LIP) of the western Pacific—Ontong Java, Manihiki, Ontong Java Nui Ontong Java Nui ‘‘Super’’-Large and Hikurangi Plateaus—were emplaced during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron and show strong simi- Igneous Province as result of larities in their geochemistry and petrology. The plate tectonic relationship between those LIPs, herein plume-ridge interaction referred to as Ontong Java Nui, is uncertain, but a joined emplacement was proposed by Taylor (2006). Since this hypothesis is still highly debated and struggles to explain features such as the strong differences Correspondence to: in crustal thickness between the different plateaus, we revisited the joined emplacement of Ontong Java K. Hochmuth, [email protected] Nui in light of new data from the Manihiki Plateau. By evaluating seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection data along with seismic reflection records of the margins of the proposed ‘‘Super’’-LIP, a detailed scenario Citation: for the emplacement and the initial phase of breakup has been developed. The LIP is a result of an interac- Hochmuth, K., K. Gohl, and tion of the arriving plume head with the Phoenix-Pacific spreading ridge in the Early Cretaceous. The G.
    [Show full text]
  • Mixed Deformation Styles Observed on a Shallow Subduction Thrust, Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand Å
    https://doi.org/10.1130/G46367.1 Manuscript received 10 April 2019 Revised manuscript received 21 June 2019 Manuscript accepted 26 June 2019 © 2019 The Authors. Gold Open Access: This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY license. Published online 16 July 2019 Mixed deformation styles observed on a shallow subduction thrust, Hikurangi margin, New Zealand Å. Fagereng1, H.M. Savage2, J.K. Morgan3, M. Wang4, F. Meneghini5, P.M. Barnes6, R. Bell7, H. Kitajima8, D.D. McNamara9, D.M. Saffer10, L.M. Wallace11, K. Petronotis12, L. LeVay12, and the IODP Expedition 372/375 Scientists* 1School of Earth & Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA 3Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA 4College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China 5Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy 6National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington 6021, New Zealand 7Basins Research Group, Imperial College London, Kensington SW7 2AZ, UK 8Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA 9Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK 10Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA 11GNS Science, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand 12International Ocean Discovery Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA ABSTRACT and sampled the Pāpaku thrust at Site U1518 Geophysical observations show spatial and temporal variations in fault slip style on shal- offshore New Zealand’s North Island (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Circulation and Mixing in Greater Cook Strait, New Zealand
    OCEANOLOGICA ACTA 1983- VOL. 6- N" 4 ~ -----!~- Cook Strait Circulation and mixing Upwelling Tidal mixing Circulation in greater Cook S.trait, Plume Détroit de Cook Upwelling .New Zealand Mélange Circulation Panache Malcolm J. Bowrnan a, Alick C. Kibblewhite b, Richard A. Murtagh a, Stephen M. Chiswell a, Brian G. Sanderson c a Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA. b Physics Department, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. c Department of Oceanography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Received 9/8/82, in revised form 2/5/83, accepted 6/5/83. ABSTRACT The shelf seas of Central New Zealand are strongly influenced by both wind and tidally driven circulation and mixing. The region is characterized by sudden and large variations in bathymetry; winds are highly variable and often intense. Cook Strait canyon is a mixing basin for waters of both subtropical and subantarctic origins. During weak winds, patterns of summer stratification and the loci of tidal mixing fronts correlate weil with the h/u3 stratification index. Under increasing wind stress, these prevailing patterns are easily upset, particularly for winds b1owing to the southeasterly quarter. Under such conditions, slope currents develop along the North Island west coast which eject warm, nutrient depleted subtropical water into the surface layers of the Strait. Coastal upwelling occurs on the flanks of Cook Strait canyon in the southeastern approaches. Under storm force winds to the south and southeast, intensifying transport through the Strait leads to increased upwelling of subsurface water occupying Cook Strait canyon at depth.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Tsunamigenic Sources of the Bay of Plenty Region, GNS Science Consultancy Report 2011/224
    DISCLAIMER This report has been prepared by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS Science) exclusively for and under contract to Bay of Plenty regional Council. Unless otherwise agreed in writing by GNS Science, GNS Science accepts no responsibility for any use of, or reliance on any contents of this Report by any person other than Bay of Plenty regional Council and shall not be liable to any person other than Bay of Plenty regional Council, on any ground, for any loss, damage or expense arising from such use or reliance. The data presented in this Report are available to GNS Science for other use from June 2012. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE Prasetya, G. and Wang, X. 2011. Review of tsunamigenic sources of the Bay of Plenty region, GNS Science Consultancy Report 2011/224. 74 p. Project Number: 410W1369 Confidential 2011 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... VII 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 2.0 OVERVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES ........................................................................ 1 2.1 Joint Tsunami Research Project of EBOP and EW (Bell et al. 2004) ............................ 1 2.2 Tsunami Source Study (Goff et al. 2006) ....................................................................... 4 2.2.1 Mw 8.5 Scenarios.............................................................................................. 5 2.2.1.1
    [Show full text]
  • Methane Seepage Along the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand
    ARTICLE IN PRESS MARGO-04469; No of Pages 20 Marine Geology xxx (2010) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Marine Geology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/margeo Methane seepage along the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand: Overview of studies in 2006 and 2007 and new evidence from visual, bathymetric and hydroacoustic investigations J. Greinert a,b,⁎, K.B. Lewis c, J. Bialas b, I.A. Pecher d, A. Rowden c, D.A. Bowden c, M. De Batist a, P. Linke b a Renard Centre of Marine Geology (RCMG), Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 s.8, B-9000 Gent, Belgium b IFM-GEOMAR, Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel, Wischhofstraße 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany c National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14 901, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand d GNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand article info abstract Article history: This paper is an introduction to and an overview of papers presented in the Special Issue of Marine Geology Received 5 May 2009 “Methane seeps at the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand”. In 2006 and 2007, three research cruises to the Received in revised form 20 December 2009 Hikurangi Margin at the east coast of New Zealand's North Island were dedicated to studying methane Accepted 23 January 2010 seepage and gas hydrates in an area where early reports suggested they were widespread. Two cruises were Available online xxxx carried out on RV TANGAROA and one on RV SONNE using the complete spectrum of state-of-the-art equipment for geophysics (seismic, sidescan, controlled source electromagnetics, ocean bottom seism- Keywords: fl methane seepage ometers and hydrophones, singlebeam and multibeam), sea oor observations (towed camera systems, gas hydrate ROV), sediment and biological sampling (TV-guided multi-corer, gravity-corer, grab, epibenthic sled), multibeam mapping deployment of in-situ observatories (landers) as well as water column sampling and oceanographic studies hydroacoustic flares (CTD, moorings).
    [Show full text]
  • Geochemistry and Age of Shatsky, Hess, and Ojin Rise Seamounts: Implications for a Connection Between the Shatsky and Hess Rises
    Accepted Manuscript Geochemistry and Age of Shatsky, Hess, and Ojin Rise seamounts: Implications for a connection between the Shatsky and Hess Rises Maria Luisa G. Tejada, Jörg Geldmacher, Folkmar Hauff, Daniel Heaton, Anthony A.P. Koppers, Dieter Garbe-Schönberg, Kaj Hoernle, Ken Heydolph, William W. Sager PII: S0016-7037(16)30165-X DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.04.006 Reference: GCA 9701 To appear in: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Received Date: 4 September 2015 Accepted Date: 1 April 2016 Please cite this article as: Tejada, M.L.G., Geldmacher, J., Hauff, F., Heaton, D., Koppers, A.A.P., Garbe- Schönberg, D., Hoernle, K., Heydolph, K., Sager, W.W., Geochemistry and Age of Shatsky, Hess, and Ojin Rise seamounts: Implications for a connection between the Shatsky and Hess Rises, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (2016), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.04.006 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1 Geochemistry and Age of Shatsky, Hess, and Ojin Rise seamounts: Implications 2 for a connection between the Shatsky and Hess Rises 3 Maria Luisa G. Tejada a,b*, Jörg Geldmacher c, Folkmar Hauff c, Daniel Heaton d, Anthony A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Age and Origin of Miocene-Pliocene Fault Reactivations in the Upper Plate of an Incipient Subduction Zone, Puysegur Margin
    RESEARCH ARTICLE The Age and Origin of Miocene‐Pliocene Fault 10.1029/2019TC005674 Reactivations in the Upper Plate of an Key Points: • Structural analyses and 40Ar/39Ar Incipient Subduction Zone, Puysegur geochronology reveal multiple fault reactivations accompanying Margin, New Zealand subduction initiation at the K. A. Klepeis1 , L. E. Webb1 , H. J. Blatchford1,2 , R. Jongens3 , R. E. Turnbull4 , and Puysegur Margin 5 • The data show how fault motions J. J. Schwartz are linked to events occurring at the 1 2 Puysegur Trench and deep within Department of Geology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA, Now at Department of Earth Sciences, University continental lithosphere of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 3Anatoki Geoscience Ltd, Dunedin, New Zealand, 4Dunedin Research Centre, GNS • Two episodes of Late Science, Dunedin, New Zealand, 5Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, Miocene‐Pliocene reverse faulting CA, USA resulted in short pulses of accelerated rock uplift and topographic growth Abstract Structural observations and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology on pseudotachylyte, mylonite, and other Supporting Information: fault zone materials from Fiordland, New Zealand, reveal a multistage history of fault reactivation and • Supporting information S1 uplift above an incipient ocean‐continent subduction zone. The integrated data allow us to distinguish • Table S1 true fault reactivations from cases where different styles of brittle and ductile deformation happen • Figure S1 • Table S2 together. Five stages of faulting record the initiation and evolution of subduction at the Puysegur Trench. Stage 1 normal faults (40–25 Ma) formed during continental rifting prior to subduction. These faults were reactivated as dextral strike‐slip shear zones when subduction began at ~25 Ma.
    [Show full text]
  • Connecting the Deep Earth and the Atmosphere
    In Mantle Convection and Surface Expression (Cottaar, S. et al., eds.) AGU Monograph 2020 (in press) Connecting the Deep Earth and the Atmosphere Trond H. Torsvik1,2, Henrik H. Svensen1, Bernhard Steinberger3,1, Dana L. Royer4, Dougal A. Jerram1,5,6, Morgan T. Jones1 & Mathew Domeier1 1Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway; 2School of Geosciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa; 3Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459, USA; 5DougalEARTH Ltd.1, Solihull, UK; 6Visiting Fellow, Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Abstract Most hotspots, kimberlites, and large igneous provinces (LIPs) are sourced by plumes that rise from the margins of two large low shear-wave velocity provinces in the lowermost mantle. These thermochemical provinces have likely been quasi-stable for hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of years, and plume heads rise through the mantle in about 30 Myr or less. LIPs provide a direct link between the deep Earth and the atmosphere but environmental consequences depend on both their volumes and the composition of the crustal rocks they are emplaced through. LIP activity can alter the plate tectonic setting by creating and modifying plate boundaries and hence changing the paleogeography and its long-term forcing on climate. Extensive blankets of LIP-lava on the Earth’s surface can also enhance silicate weathering and potentially lead to CO2 drawdown (cooling), but we find no clear relationship between LIPs and post-emplacement variation in atmospheric CO2 proxies on very long (>10 Myrs) time- scales.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing Community-Based Scientific Priorities and New Drilling
    Workshop Reports Sci. Dril., 24, 61–70, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-24-61-2018 © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Developing community-based scientific priorities and new drilling proposals in the southern Indian and southwestern Pacific oceans Robert McKay1, Neville Exon2, Dietmar Müller3, Karsten Gohl4, Michael Gurnis5, Amelia Shevenell6, Stuart Henrys7, Fumio Inagaki8,9, Dhananjai Pandey10, Jessica Whiteside11, Tina van de Flierdt12, Tim Naish1, Verena Heuer13, Yuki Morono9, Millard Coffin14, Marguerite Godard15, Laura Wallace7, Shuichi Kodaira8, Peter Bijl16, Julien Collot17, Gerald Dickens18, Brandon Dugan19, Ann G. Dunlea20, Ron Hackney21, Minoru Ikehara22, Martin Jutzeler23, Lisa McNeill11, Sushant Naik24, Taryn Noble14, Bradley Opdyke2, Ingo Pecher25, Lowell Stott26, Gabriele Uenzelmann-Neben4, Yatheesh Vadakkeykath24, and Ulrich G. Wortmann27 1Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand 2Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia 3School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW2006, Australia 4Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany 5California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 6College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701, USA 7GNS Science, Lower Hutt, 5040, New Zealand 8Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokohama 236-0001,
    [Show full text]
  • Depleted Mantle Wedge and Sediment Fingerprint In
    Depleted mantle wedge and sediment fi ngerprint in unusual basalts from the Manihiki plateau, central Pacifi c Ocean: Comment and Reply COMMENT: doi: 10.1130/G24829C.1 of 43 Ma (Dalrymple and Clague, 1976). More recent work on mineral separates (Sharp and Clague, 2006) indicates an age of 50 Ma. Sharp and Ajoy K. Baksi* Clague (2006) suggested that the earlier ages were based on dating of Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, post-shield material and thus underestimated the age of the main shield- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA building phase at each seamount. This is unlikely, because the difference in age at each seamount is ~5–7 m.y., much larger than that estimated for Ingle et al. (2007) reported 40Ar/39Ar ages for Manihiki plateau shield–post-shield volcanism (~2 m.y.). As suggested elsewhere (Baksi, rocks and suggested some of them were contemporaneous (~120 Ma) 2007b), the discrepancy in the ages results from the dating of altered with lavas from the Ontong Java and Hikurangi plateaus, each some material over three decades ago. The AI of the whole-rock samples 2500 km distant (Ingle et al., 2007, their Fig. 1). Critical examination of dated by Dalrymple and Clague (1976) are >10 times the cutoff value the radiometric data suggests that widespread volcanism in the central- (36Ar/39Ar < 0.0006). AI values (36Ar/37Ar) for the plagioclase samples of western Pacifi c at ~120 Ma is questionable. Sharp and Clague (2006) average ~0.00006, the cutoff for fresh samples. All 40Ar/39Ar results need to be evaluated for (1) statistical valid- These (HF) acid-leached mineral separates yielded ages close to the crys- ity of plateau segments (Baksi, 2005), and (2) the state of alteration of tallization value; the age of the Bend in the Chain is ~50 Ma.
    [Show full text]
  • Identifying Resource Management Conflicts: Stakeholder Study Regarding Flood Protection in Wairarapa Moana
    Identifying Resource Management Conflicts: Stakeholder Study Regarding Flood Protection in Wairarapa Moana Sponsored By: Breanne Happell René Jacques Elizabeth van Zyl Elizabeth Walfield Identifying Resource Management Conflicts: Stakeholder Study Regarding Flood Protection in Wairarapa Moana An Interactive Qualifying Project Submitted to the Faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science In cooperation with The Greater Wellington Regional Council Submitted on March 1st, 2016 Submitted By: Breanne Happell René Jacques Elizabeth van Zyl Elizabeth Walfield Project Advisors: Bethel Eddy Robert Kinicki This report represents work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects i Abstract This project aided the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) in gathering the opinions of stakeholders in regards to two flood protection methods in the Lower Wairarapa Valley of New Zealand: the Geoffrey Blundell Barrage Gates and the Ruamahanga River Cutoff. These methods regulate water levels in Lake Wairarapa. The team conducted 25 interviews with flood protection managers, farmers that live in the valley, and members of Ngāti Kahungunu, a Māori iwi (tribe). Our analysis found that fish passage through the gates, lake water levels, and whether the GWRC incorporated stakeholder opinions fairly were areas of concern to the stakeholder groups. This information will help to facilitate further communication between the stakeholder groups and the GWRC. ii Executive Summary This project evaluated the various views on the management of the Geoffrey Blundell Barrage Gates and the Ruamahanga River Cutoff, two flood protection methods implemented in Wairarapa Moana.
    [Show full text]