Abstract
This paper discusses new results from the Northland Ophiolite in northern New Zealand that indicate that it formed in a supra-subduction zone setting, c. 26–29 m.y. ago, and very near to its late Oligocene obduction site. This is in contrast to previous studies which have suggested that the ophiolite is a far-travelled igneous Cretaceous-Paleocene terrane. Cretaceous rocks formerly mapped as part of the ophiolite are minor and represent an autochthonous Late Cretaceous-Paleocene volcanic arc. The tectonic setting, age, and location of formation suggest that the ophiolite formed as part of the southernmost South Fiji Basin crust. Obduction of the Northland Ophiolite initiated subduction and volcanism resulting in the development of the Northland volcanic arc during the early Miocene.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 383-389 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | New Zealand Journal of Geology, and Geophysics |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded through a Hong Kong Research Grants Committee award to JM (HKU7017/03P) and a Hong Kong University Research Committee Grant award to JRA. We are grateful to Gary Thompson and John Cassidy for their various insights. Sergei Zyabrev is thanked for hishelp inthe identification of the radiolarian assemblages. The Masters and Bellingham families kindly allowed access to their quarries. Gavin Chan helped in the field. Richard Price and Roger Briggs provided thoughtful
Keywords
- Northland Ophiolite
- Oligocene
- Southwest Pacific
- Tectonics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geophysics
- Geology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)