A 28 000-6600 cal yr record of local and distal volcanism preserved in a paleolake, Auckland, New Zealand

A 52.5 in core was extracted from Pukaki Crater, an infilled basaltic explo sion crater in the Auckland Volcanic Field, for detailed tephra and palynol ogical analysis, The core consists of a lower 6 in of finely laminated lacu strine sediments representing the interval c. 28 000-6600 cal yr overlain b y 46.5 in of homogeneous marine silts deposited between c. 7600 and 6600 ca t yr. Favourable conditions have preserved at least 40 tephra layers in the sediments. These have been derived from one local and five distal sources and were deposited within the crater lake between c. 28 000 and c. 7600 cat yr. The tephra beds were identified by stratigraphic position, geochemical analyses, and ferromagnesian mineral assemblage. This tephrostratigraphic framework is underpinned by three distinctive tephra beds, namely Tuhua (c. 6950 cat yr), Rotoma (c. 9500 cat yr), and Kawakawa (c. 26 500 cat yr). Of the 40 tephra beds, 7 are sourced from the rhyolitic Okataina Volcanic C entre (Mamaku c. 8200 cat yr; Rotoma c. 9500 cat yr; Waiohau c. 13 800 cat yr; Rotorua c. 15 800 cat yr; Rerewhakaaitu c. 17 700 cal yr; Okareka c. 21 400 cat yr; Te Rere c. 25 000 cat yr), 3 from the rhyolitic Taupo Volcanic Centre (Opepe c. 10 200 cat yr; Kawakawa c. 26 500 cat yr; Poihipi c. 27 5 00 cat yr), 5 from the andesitic Tongariro Volcanic Centre, 14 from the and esitic Taranaki Volcano, I from Mayor Island (Tuhua c. 6950 cat yr), and 8 from the basaltic Auckland Volcanic Field. In addition, two previously unid entified rhyolitic tephra (c. 17 100 cat yr and c. 20 720 cal yr) are recor ded. The occurrence of numerous andesitic and rhyolitic tephra beds in the Auckl and region extends the known dispersal of the units and has implications fo r the assessment of volcanic hazards from distal sources. Many of the Taran aki-derived tephra beds do not stratigraphically match those recorded in th e Waikato lakes region and this suggests that Taranaki Volcano produced mor e ash than previously estimated. The distal tephra record preserved at Puka ki provides age constraints for Auckland Volcanic Field basaltic tephra tha t are otherwise poorly dated. Basaltic fall events are recorded at c. 14 45 0 cal yr, 15 750 cat yr, 19 380 cat yr, 19 420 cat yr, 23 825 cat yr, 24 17 5 cat yr, 25 200 cat yr, and 25 700 cat yr. Fresh glass in the basaltic tep hra allows them to be chemically fingerprinted and discriminated, and this will open a new avenue to development of a regional basaltic tephrostratigr aphy.