The stratigraphy and depositional environment of the Maori Bottom Formation in the Maniototo Basin, Central Otago.

Schmitt, KR

Investigation of the straigraphy and depositional history of the Maorl Bottom Formation, a late Miocene- early Pliocene (Tk- Wo) fluvial gravel, has proven useful in reconstructing the tectonic history and paleogeography of the Maniototo basin.
The Maori Bottom Formation consists of crudely stratified massive greywacke and schist gravel interbedded with massive silt. The formation is deeply weathered to a rusty buff color and well indurated, often standing as vertical cliffs. The deposltional environment is interpreted to be a sandur-type alluvial plain developed in the northeastern Maniototo adjacent to the newly formed Kakanui and lda Ranges alpine terrain. Facies distribution and provenance of the Maorl Bottom Group indicate at least two distinct phases in the tectonic development of the basin since the late Miocene.
The influence and interaction of tectonics and climate on sedimentation in the Maniototo basin since the late Mlocene can be inferred from the stratigraphic record preserved within it. Coupled with a consideration of the regional paleoclimate the Maori Bottom Formation has implications for late Miocene-early Pliocene glaciation in New Zealand.

vi. 64 p. ill. Maps folded in pocket. 30 cm.

1984Schmitt