Late quaternary evolution of the Rotoaira Basin, northern Tongariro ring plain, New Zealand

The last 100 000 yr record of volcaniclastic sedimentation in the Rotoaira Basin reflects the critical role played by tectonic and eruptive activity that led to: (1) the catastrophic emplacement of Te Whaiau Formation (6055 ka); (2) major episodes of effusive activity (c. 30 ka and c. 15 ka); and (3) syn- and post-eruptive lahar aggradation on the shores of Lake Rotoaira. Stratigraphic unconformities, fluvial and aeolian reworking, and subsequent volcanogenic sedimentation indicate that climate change driven periods of erosion contributed significantly to the evolution of the landscape during the late Quaternary. Waters that accumulated in a newly expanded graben formed Lake Rotoaira. An attempt to core through the sediments on the lake's floor revealed a >6.5 m thick mantling of Taupo ignimbrite, restricting chronostratigraphic sampling to the last 1.85 ka. Lake Rotoaira pollen profiles record: (1) the destruction of the indigenous forest by the Taupo ignimbrite eruption; (2) the following period of vegetation recovery (c. 300 yr); and (3) periods of human occupation of the lakeshores (bracken spores and Pinus pollen) in the younger sediments. Coarse sand generated by the 1995-96 tephra-producing Ruapehu eruptions also contributed to the recent lake sedimentation.