The peat soils of the Auckland Islands

Abstract

This paper contains a description of the peat soils on part of the Auckland Islands which lie in the South Pacific Ocean approximately 200 miles south of New Zealand. Peat forms a blanket over the surface of the Islands and is the parent material of most of the soils. In the area examined in detail the average thickness of the peat blanket was approximately 6 feet. A fossil soil horizon in the peat was dated by the radiocarbon method as 6290 ± 110 years before present. This is tentatively correhted with the post-glacial thermal maximum period any by applying the chronology established elsewhere for this period it is concluded that the blanket peats of the Auckland Islands began accumulating at least 40DO years ago. A thickness of from 2 to 6 feet of blanket peat has been built up in this time. The peat blanket is discussed with regard to origin and development, decompositIOn, movement and erosion, the underlying mineral material, animal contributors and chemistry. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.