Late Holocene record of environmental changes, cyclones and tsunamis in a coastal lake, Mangaia, Cook Islands

A 4.3m-long peat sequence from the shore of Lake Tiriara, Mangaia, Cook Islands, was analyzed using an ITRAX core scanner equipped with a magnetic susceptibility meter. Variations in the elemental profiles, providing insights into long- and short-term environmental changes over the last 3500years, are supported by grain size data and diatom assemblages. The scattering ratio (Mo Inc/Mo Coh) was evaluated and found to represent a good proxy for organic matter in peat. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) data were processed by principal component analysis that confirmed the distinction of biogenic and detrital phases, organic matter and elements of marine origin. The record preserved in the peat sequence includes a peatland infilling stage followed by alternating drier and wetter periods. A notable steady increase in clay associated with high counts of detrital elements from 2000-1700calyr BP is attributed to increased erosion, which is most probably linked with human colonization and/or more intense chemical weathering linked with a wetter climate. Freshwater gastropods (Melanoides sp.), which were possibly introduced by humans, or are native, occupied the wetland during a period of lower water level about 1000-1100calyr BP. Short-term changes in the elemental profiles are often linked with slight coarsening of the inorganic fraction that is, however, only revealed after grain size analysis. Peaks in marine indicators (Br, Cl, S, and/or Ca) associated with marine-dominated diatom assemblages most probably represent marine incursions through the underground tunnel in the makatea, a fossilized, uplifted coral limestone rim. While none of the marine event units present characteristics typical of cyclone or tsunami deposits, the concurrent or absent peak of detrital elements (Fe, Si, Rb, Ti, K) attributed to increased erosion of the volcanic cone associated with a cyclone is used to distinguish both types of events, as also suggested by principal component analysis.