New information on the age and thermal history of a probable Early Triassic siltstone near Kaka Point, South Island, New Zealand

Abstract

The conodont Neospathodus homeri s.l. supports a late Early Triassic, Malakovian, age for an ammonoid-rich horizon in the Potiki Siltstone, 0.9 km south of Kaka Point, southeast Otago, rather than an alternative designation of Early to Middle Anisian. The conodont colour alteration index suggests a thermal history with temperature not exceeding c. 80°C. The Kaka Point structural belt appears to have had a tectonic and thermal history different from that of the adjacent Murihiku Terrane. © 1996 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.