Crampton JS, Hollis CJ, Field BD, Strong CP. 2020. Measured section through latest Cretaceous to middle Eocene strata in Mead Stream, north-eastern South Island, New Zealand. Lower Hutt (NZ): GNS Science. 10 p. + appendices. (GNS Science report 2020/17). doi:10.21420/X6W0-1Z32.
Abstract:
Mead Stream in the Clarence Valley, north-eastern South Island, New Zealand, exposes a remarkable stratigraphic section through uppermost Cretaceous to Eocene formations. This section has been studied in detail since 1979 and has yielded internationally important data on the Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary, the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum and several other global and regional paleoclimatic or paleoenvironmental events. The section has been sampled intensively for microfossil analyses (radiolarians, foraminifera, nannofossils, dinoflagellates), trace fossil analysis, paleomagnetic analysis and geochemical analysis (including stable isotopes). The section was damaged extensively during the Kaikōura earthquake sequence of November 2016, and safety considerations have prevented field work in the stream since that date. This report collates stratigraphic and sampling information gathered over almost 40 years, up until November 2016, onto a common measured section. Much of the measured section has been logged bed-by-bed at centimetre scale in order to facilitate future studies based on existing samples and new analyses. (auth)
