Age of the Auckland Volcanic Field: a review of existing data
Determining magnitude-frequency relationships, a critical first step in assessing volcanic hazard, has been hampered in the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) by the difficulty in dating past eruptions from the field's c. 50 centres. We assessed 186 age determinations from 27 centres for reliability...
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Published in | New Zealand journal of geology and geophysics Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 379 - 401 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Abingdon
Taylor & Francis Group
01.12.2011
Taylor & Francis Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Determining magnitude-frequency relationships, a critical first step in assessing volcanic hazard, has been hampered in the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) by the difficulty in dating past eruptions from the field's c. 50 centres. We assessed 186 age determinations from 27 centres for reliability and consistency. Results indicate that only three centres (Rangitoto 0.6 ka; Mt Wellington 10 ka; Three Kings 28.5 ka) are reliably and accurately dated. Eight are reasonably reliably dated within a small age range: Crater Hill, Kohuora, Mt Richmond, Puketutu, Taylors Hill and Wiri Mountain (all 32-34 ka); Ash Hill (32 ka); and Purchas Hill (11 ka). Tephrochronology of lake sediments and relative ages from stratigraphic relationships provide age constraints for a further 9 and 11 centres, respectively. Although recent Ar-Ar studies show promise, ages of AVF centres generally remain poorly understood; this has implications for any statistical treatment of the distribution of volcanism in the AVF. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0028-8306 1175-8791 |
DOI: | 10.1080/00288306.2011.595805 |