The geological occurrence and visual attributes of sedimentary and 'volcanic' cherts in northern New Zealand

Phillip R. Moore

doi:10.70460/jpa.v15i1.382

Authors

Phil Moore Peninsula Research https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2782-091X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70460/jpa.v15i1.382

Keywords:

chert, sedimentary, volcanic, sinter, Northland, Coromandel Peninsula

Abstract

The northern part of the North Island of New Zealand includes numerous occurrences of chert, some of which are known to have been exploited by pre-European Māori. Most of the chert is of sedimentary origin, of Late Cretaceous-Eocene age, but Miocene ‘volcanic’ chert (i.e. jasper, sinter and silicified wood) is also common in places. To facilitate a better understanding of cherts in this region, and promote further research, the geological context and visual attributes of samples from 19 locations are described. Five different chert types are formally recognised. Visual examination of >160 samples show there is considerable overlap in the colour range of cherts from different localities, indicating that attribution of artefacts to specific sources based on colour alone is likely to be unreliable. However, a distinction between sedimentary and ‘volcanic’ cherts and sinters should be possible based upon the presence/absence of bioturbation, radiolaria and plant remains.

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