Conference theme

The over-riding theme of the conference is:

Sedimentation on active plate margins through time and space.

Zealandia is a 4.9 Mkm2 region of continental crust in the South Pacific that was once part of Gondwana.

As a result of widespread Late Cretaceous crustal thinning, preceding supercontinent breakup and consequent isostatic balance, 94% of Zealandia became submerged.

New Zealand constitutes the subaerially exposed part of Zealandia astride the Pacific and Australian plate boundary, which means we have a diverse range of modern and ancient depositional and diagenetic systems in a relatively small geographic area.

Large scale sedimentary processes can be tracked from source to sink over relatively small distances, making New Zealand an ideal place to compare modern depositional analogues with the sedimentary record.

As a result, there is a range of potential sub-themes related to active margins that include but would not be restricted to:

  • Tectonic geomorphology and sedimentation
  • Volcano-sedimentary processes and deposits
  • Non-tropical carbonate deposition and diagenesis
  • Seismic and volcanic influences on lacustrine sedimentation
  • Seismicity and the relationship to submarine landslides/turbidites/mass transport deposits (MTDs) – modern and ancient
  • Interaction of tectonic and eustatic processes in the sedimentary record
  • Glacio-fluvial sedimentation

For those those who live and/or work on more passive margins, other sub-themes being considered include:

  • Downslope and along slope deep marine processes
  • Tropical carbonate deposition and diagenesis
  • Modern sedimentary processes and deposits: analogues for the rock record
  • Sediments, plants, and animals: fossils, trace fossils, paleoecology, and evolution
  • Sustainable sedimentary resources: aggregates, critical minerals, and the energy transition
  • Sedimentology and society: Societal impacts on sedimentary systems, shallow marine processes and hazards, sea level change

There is a general increase in public awareness of natural world processes driven primarily by climate change and subsequent effects such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. However, it is not our intention to have detailed sessions discussing environmental concerns, risks and hazards.

Instead, we propose to include a sedimentological sub-theme that has societal significance. In New Zealand/Aotearoa, the pre-European Polynesian inhabitants (Māori) who arrived in about 950 AD, have a history of living on an active plate margin and using the geology to survive. Therefore, the sub-theme we propose is:

  • Māori and Pasifica (Polynesian cultures of the SW Pacific) view of sediments and sedimentary process.
Awatere Fault and modern Awatere River, Awatere Valley, South Island, New Zealand.
Awatere Fault and modern Awatere River, Awatere Valley, South Island, New Zealand.
Terrestrial volcanic ash (fallout) mantling a succession of coherent igneous rocks, Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.
Terrestrial volcanic ash (fallout) mantling a succession of coherent igneous rocks, Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.
Example of a non-tropical carbonate, Cobden Limestone, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.
Example of a non-tropical carbonate, Cobden Limestone, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.
High-energy, modern coastal sedimentation, Boulder bank, Nelson Harbour, South Island New Zealand.
High-energy, modern coastal sedimentation, Boulder bank, Nelson Harbour, South Island New Zealand.
Turbidite succession, Totahiapuru Stream, Pukearuhe, North Island, New Zealand.
Turbidite succession, Totahiapuru Stream, Pukearuhe, North Island, New Zealand.
High-energy, modern coastal sedimentation, Boulder bank, Nelson Harbour, South Island New Zealand.
High-energy, modern coastal sedimentation, Boulder bank, Nelson Harbour, South Island New Zealand.
Tasman Glacier displaying significant retreat since the 1990s. The terminal lake (bottom right) has appeared since 1973. South Island.
Tasman Glacier displaying significant retreat since the 1990s. The terminal lake (bottom right) has appeared since 1973. South Island.
Examining Māori rock art (a), Māori carved cliff face (b) and the Māori legend of the Sky Father (Ranginui) who formed the vault of the heavens after being torn away from the Earth Mother (Papatūānuku), who is the land.
Examining Māori rock art (a), Māori carved cliff face (b) and the Māori legend of the Sky Father (Ranginui) who formed the vault of the heavens after being torn away from the Earth Mother (Papatūānuku), who is the land.