The Kaharoa Tephra as a Critical Datum for Earliest Human Impact in Northern New Zealand

Newnham, Rewi M.; Lowe, David J.; McGlone, Matt S.; Wilmshurst, Janet M.; Higham, Thomas

doi:10.1006/jasc.1997.0217

Cited by 82 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Kaharoa Tephra is essentially coincident with the earliest environmental impacts of Polynesian settlement (Lowe et al 1998, in press;Newnham et al 1998b;Wilmshurst et al 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

Lowe¹,

Newnham²,

Ward³

1999

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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“…Kaharoa Tephra is essentially coincident with the earliest environmental impacts of Polynesian settlement (Lowe et al 1998, in press;Newnham et al 1998b;Wilmshurst et al 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

Lowe¹,

Newnham²,

Ward³

1999

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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“…Although this has now been dated using high-precision wiggle-match methodology to 1314 ± 6 (1s) CE 6 , there is some reluctance to move on from the 1280 CE date estimated for the earliest well-dated site of Wairau Bar 26 . It has been suggested 27,28 that changes to the vegetation in several sediment profiles show that human settlement may have begun before the Kaharoa Tephra, and that the time is consistent with the 1280 CE date proposed for Wairau Bar 26 . However, non-archaeological data have been used in the past 29,30 to produce erroneous results 16,26 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 59%

An extremely low-density human population exterminated New Zealand moa

et al. 2014

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New Zealand moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) are the only late Quaternary megafauna whose extinction was clearly caused by humans. New Zealand offers the best opportunity to estimate the number of people involved in a megafaunal extinction event because, uniquely, both the Polynesian settlement of New Zealand and moa extinction are recent enough to be dated with a high degree of precision. In addition, the founding human population can be estimated from genetic evidence. Here we show that the Polynesian population of New Zealand would not have exceeded 2,000 individuals before extinction of moa populations in the habitable areas of the eastern South Island. During a brief (o150 years) period and at population densities that never exceeded B0.01 km À 2 , Polynesians exterminated viable populations of moa by hunting and removal of habitat. High human population densities are not required in models of megafaunal extinction.

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“…HPE/4 is not shown because it was in mixed post-European surficial sediment. in the shelter deposits Three of the twelve (two from the Taupo Volcanic Centre and one from the Egmont Centre) were deposited before the Taupo Tephra, a series of eight from the Tonganro Centre, and a single tephra from Egmont, fell m the past 1000 years Unfortunately, there seem to be no easily recognisable tephras in the age range from 1000 years to the date of the Taupo Tephra, but there is at least the possibility that one or more of the Tonganro tephras may provide some stratigraphic control for sediments of the Polynesian era On present evidence, it would be necessary to use microscopic analysis to discern the presence of these tephras in the Hawke's Bay rockshelters and other sites in the North Island (Eden & Froggatt 1996) It is especially unfortunate that the Kaharoa Tephra, of major importance farther north (Newnham et al 1998), has such a limited distribution…”

Section: £ Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliable¹⁴C AMS dates on bird and Pacific ratRattus exulansbone gelatin, from a CaCO₃‐rich deposit

Holdaway¹,

Beavan

1999

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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We tested the reliability of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on bone gelatin by dating samples whose maximum or minimum age was constrained by stratigraphic position relative to well-dated volcanic tephra layers The tephra layers were not reworked, and were thick enough to preclude the possibility of redeposition resulting in specimens being found outside the age bounds set by the tephras The damp, fossiliferous, carbonate-rich sediment was in a relatively constant, cool environment in a small cave at nearly 900 m altitude Bones from four species of bird with different diets (a pigeon, a rail, an owlet-nightjar, and a large ratite) and one rodent, the Pacific rat Rattus exulans, were dated The calibrated (calendar) AMS age of each bone was compared to ages predicted from their stratigraphic position and calculated sedimentation rates, inferred from the age of each tephra layer Samples of moa (Aves Dinornithifonnes) eggshell were also dated by AMS, providing an independent dating material None of the bone gelatin or eggshell dates displayed any significant in-built (reservoir) age relative to the marker horizons, nor were any AMS ages significantly younger than expected Our results agree with previous studies in showing that 14 C AMS dates on bone gelatin from deposits that have always had a relatively cool, and stable physical environment are likely to be reliable For bones protected from weathering before burial, and then incorporated in a stable, carbonate-rich environment, the filtered bone gelatin procedure used in this study is adequate to give reliable AMS ages Possible reasons for discrepancies in bone gelatin AMS dates relative to marine shell, or charcoal dates from archaeological sites in dune deposits, are also discussed

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The Kaharoa Tephra as a Critical Datum for Earliest Human Impact in Northern New Zealand

Cited by 82 publications

References 54 publications

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

An extremely low-density human population exterminated New Zealand moa

Reliable¹⁴C AMS dates on bird and Pacific ratRattus exulansbone gelatin, from a CaCO₃‐rich deposit

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The Kaharoa Tephra as a Critical Datum for Earliest Human Impact in Northern New Zealand

Cited by 82 publications

References 54 publications

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

Stratigraphy and chronology of a 15 ka sequence of multi‐sourced silicic tephras in a montane peat bog, eastern North Island, New Zealand

An extremely low-density human population exterminated New Zealand moa

Reliable14C AMS dates on bird and Pacific ratRattus exulansbone gelatin, from a CaCO3‐rich deposit

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Reliable¹⁴C AMS dates on bird and Pacific ratRattus exulansbone gelatin, from a CaCO₃‐rich deposit