ANTEPENULTIMATE GLACIAL TO LAST GLACIAL DEPOSITS IN SOUTHERN WAIRARAPA, NEW-ZEALAND

In southern Wairarapa valley, north of the marine terraces adjacent to Palliser Bay, three fluvial aggradation gravel terraces with small ve rtical separation, at successively lower levels, represent the Porewa, Rata and Ohakea stadials of the Last Glacial Stage. Their correlative loess deposits and interbedded Kawakawa and Middle Tongariro Tephras mantle much of the lower part of the valley and higher areas to the ea st, providing stratigraphic control on underlying surfaces of pre-Ohak ean, pre-Ratan and Pre-Porewan ages. A slightly higher terrace represe nts the Last Interglacial Stage. It has a cover of Francis Line Format ion, predominantly fine-grained fluvial overbank deposits c.5-7 m thic k, locally thicker lacustrine deposits, with overlying Porewa, Rata an d Ohakea Loess with their interbedded tephras. The eastern limit of Fr ancis Line Formation is defined approximately, and farther east the La st Interglacial Stage is represented by a paleosol, usually strong red in colour, and at places developed in thin wind-blown sand. Ahiaruhe Formation underlies Last Interglacial deposits unconformably, consists mainly of alluvial gravel, but includes relatively thin loess and fre sh-water silt and sand layers, Mount Curl Tephra and a strong brown pa leosol above the tephra. It is considered to represent the Penultimate Glaciation, Penultimate Interglacial, and Antepenultimate Glaciation, and was deposited in a regime of tectonic subsidence.