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II.—Pleistocene Glaciation of New Zealand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

James Park
Affiliation:
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Extract

In the June issue of the Geological Magazine for 1917 there appears an article by Mr. C. T. Trechmann, D.Sc., F.G.S., on “The Glaciation Controversy in New Zealand”, in which he traverses my views as to the extent of the Pleistocene glaciation of this Dominion. I regret that my recent journeys to the Isle of Pines and Cape Yorke Peninsula and the irregularity of the oversea mails arising from the war conditions have prevented an earlier reply. Mr. Trechmann deals first with the glaciation of the North Island. He says it seems to him that the question of the glaciation of the North Island stands or falls with the origin of the striations on the large andesitic boulder lying near Mangaweka in the Rangitikei Valley (see Plate XIV). He selects these striations as the sole criterion of former glaciation, and argues that “if the scratches are not glacial the boulder is not glacial, and if this boulder is not glacial none of the others are glacial, and the chief evidence for a glaciation of the North Island fails”. As a matter of fact this great striated boulder was not discovered by me till 1915, or some five years after the close of the glaciation controversy between Dr. P. Marshall and myself. Its existence was unknown in 1909. At that time I relied on other evidences of glaciation that Mr. Trechmann passes over with little or no comment.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1918

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References

page 394 note 1 Geol. Mag., Vol. IV, pp. 241–5, 1917Google Scholar.

page 394 note 2 Trans. N.Z. Inst., n.s., vol. xlviii, pp. 135–7, 1915Google Scholar.

page 394 note 3 Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xlii, pp. 589612, 1909Google Scholar.

page 394 note 4 Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xl, pp. 575–80, 1909Google Scholar.

page 395 note 1 J. Park, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xlviii, p. 136Google Scholar.

page 396 note 1 These manuscript maps are filed in Otago University. They were prepared in connexion with a research scholarship held by Macdonald.