The age of the Takatika Grit,Chatham Islands,New Zealand

Hollis, C.J, Stickley, C.E., Bijl, P.K., Schiøler, P., Clowes, C.D., Li, X, Campbell, H. March 2017. The age of the Takatika Grit, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

The oldest Paleogene strata on Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand, are the phosphatized conglomerates and sandstones of the Takatika Grit that crops out on the northeastern coast at Tioriori and unconformably overlies the Chatham Schist. An intact Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary transition is not preserved at this locality. New biostratigraphic analysis of dinoflagellate, diatom and radiolarian microfossil assemblages confirms that the Takatika Grit is of late early–middle Paleocene (New Zealand Teurian stage) age but contains reworked microfossils of early Campanian (Early Haumurian) age. Vertebrate fossils found in this unit are inferred to be a mixture of reworked Cretaceous and in situ Paleocene bones and teeth. The overlying Tutuiri Greensand is of middle–late Paleocene age in its lower part and also contains reworked Cretaceous microfossils.

Christopher J. Hollis [c.hollis@gns.cri.nz], Chris Clowes [c.clowes@gns.cri.nz], Xun Li [x.li@gns.cri.nz], Hamish Campbell [h.campbell@gns.cri.nz], GNS Science, PO Box 30-368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand; Catherine Stickley, Evolution Applied Limited, 50 Mitchell Way, Upper Rissington, Cheltenham GL54 2PL, UK [catherine.stickley@gmail.com]; Peter Bijl [p.k.bijl@uu.nl], Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlands; Poul Schiøler [poul.schioler@mgpalaeo.com.au], Morgan Goodall Palaeo, Unit 1/5 Arvida St, Malaga, WA 6090, Australia.     

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