Contorted stratification with clay lobes in volcanic ash beds, Raglan-Hamilton region, New Zealand

Contorted stratification in basal volcanic ash beds of the Pleistocene Hamilton Ash Formation incorporates halloysitic clay lobes which project upward into a bed of predominantly allophanic material. The forms produced are similar to convolute laminations described in other marine and non-marine sedimentary sequences. The halloysitic clay lobes have been described previously as concretions and as the products of differential weathering processes. A third hypothesis is proposed to explain the formation of the clay lobes and associated contorted stratification of these basal ash beds, namely, that the beds were deformed by plastic flowage of halloysitic clay into a sensitive allophanic bed. This deformation was possibly a result of water-saturated beds rapidly losing strength as a result of cyclic reversals of stress and strain produced by earthquake shock waves

The soils of the southeastern sector of Egmont National Park

The soils of the southeastern slopes of Egmont National Park, Taranaki, are youthful in absolute age and also in soil development. They are classed as recent soils on a parent material basis: andesitic tephras, alluvium, and peat with interbedded tephra. Of these groups the former covers the greatest part of the surveyed area and was studied in the most detail. The recent soils from andesitic tephra have a profile form dominated by buried soil horizons and little weathered tephra layers, the youngest of which was erupted 210 years ago. Characteristic features are the very weak weathering of minerals in the upper soil layers, the variable depth of melanisation, the extremely leached state of the soil profile and lastly the marked similarity of the soil chemical parameters despite appreciably different biotic regimes and a range in slope and altitude. It is concluded that the extremely high rainfall, in excess of 150 inches per annum, so controls soil processes that the variables of site and vegetation are not expressed in the measured soil parameters

Annotated bibliography of central North Island volcanic ash stratigraphy

Prior to 1929 many observations had been published giving brief accounts of the volcanic ash deposits in various parts of the North Island but no detailed investigations were undertaken. With the incidence of Bush Sickness in the Central North Island mapping of the "ash soils" was undertaken as part of the investigations into the cause of this disease. The work done at this time was the beginning of our present understanding of ash stratigraphy. In this bibliography only papers relevant to the Central North Island ash-showers have been mentioned

SHERPA-LEAP: a consortial model for the creation and support of academic institutional repositories

Purpose: To introduce SHERPA-LEAP, a model for the consortial development, population and support of eprints repositories. Design/methodology/approach: The organisational and technical structures of the consortium are described, including a brief summary of central and local resource responsibilities. Some positive and negative aspects of a consortial approach to institutional repository development, and of the SHERPA-LEAP model in particular, are identified. Outstanding issues and future plans for the consortium are outlined. Findings: SHERPA-LEAP is found to be succeeding in its aims of developing and supporting eprints repositories within the federal University of London. Some lessons learned from the SHERPA-LEAP approach are identified, but the SHERPA-LEAP consortial model is found to have been mostly beneficial to the participating institutions. In particular, the networking and experience-sharing opportunities which any consortial solution will facilitate are highly valued by the SHERPA-LEAP partners. Value: The case study is intended to help to inform the decision-making of institutions and consortia which are considering consortial solutions to the establishment and maintenance of institutional repositories

Unravelling upbuilding pedogenesis in tephra and loess sequences in New Zealand using tephrochronology

The genesis of soils developed in either tephra or loess on stable sites differs markedly from that of soils developed on rock because classical topdown processes operate in conjuction with geological processes whereby material is added to the land surface so that the soils form by upbuilding pedogenesis. Understanding the genesis of such soils (typically Andisols and Alfisols, respectively) often requires a stratigraphic approach combined with an appreciation of buried soil horizons and polygenesis. In New Zealand, calendrically-dated tephras provide an advantage for assessing rates of upbuilding through chronostratigraphy. Many Andisol profiles form by upbuilding pedogenesis as younger tephra materials are deposited on top of older ones. The resultant profile character reflects interplay between the rate at which tephras are added to the land surface and topdown processes that produce andic materials and horizons. In loess terrains, upbuilding pedogenesis since c. 25,000 years ago is associated with maximum rates of loess accumulation c. 3 10 mm per century, sufficiently slow for soil-forming processes to continue to operate as the land surface gradually rises. Thus, Alfisol subsoil features are only weakly developed and Bw or B(x) horizons typically are formed. In contrast, topdown pedogenesis is associated with minimal or zero loess accumulation, the land surface elevation remains essentially constant, and subsoil features become more strongly developed and Bg, Bt, or Bx horizons typically are formed

Origin, evolution and dynamic context of a Neoglacial lateral-frontal moraine at Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard

Moraines marking the Neoglacial limits in Svalbard are commonly ice cored. Investigating the nature of this relict ice is important because it can aid our understanding of former glacier dynamics. This paper examines the composition of the lateral–frontal moraine associated with the Neoglacial limit at Austre Lovénbreen and assesses the likely geomorphological evolution. The moraine was investigated using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), with context being provided by structural mapping of the glacier based on an oblique aerial image from 1936 and vertical aerial imagery from 2003. Multiple up-glacier dipping reflectors and syncline structures are found in the GPR surveys. The reflectors are most clearly defined in lateral positions, where the moraine is substantially composed of ice. The frontal area of the moraine is dominantly composed of debris. The core of the lateral part of the moraine is likely to consist of stacked sequences of basal ice that have been deformed by strong longitudinal compression. The long term preservation potential of the ice-dominated lateral moraine is negligible, whereas the preservation of the debris-dominated frontal moraine is high. A glacier surface bulge, identified on the 1936 aerial imagery, provides evidence that Austre Lovénbreen has previously displayed surge activity, although it is highly unlikely to do so in the near future in its current state. This research shows the value of relict buried ice that is preserved in landforms to aiding our understanding of former glacier characteristics

Obituary − Emeritus Professor Dr John Davidson McCraw (1925−2014) MBE, MSc NZ, DSc Well, CRSNZ, FNZSSS.

John McCraw was an Earth scientist who began working as a pedologist with Soil Bureau, DSIR, then became the Foundation Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, inspiring a new generation to study and work in Earth sciences . In retirement, John McCraw was an author and historian with a special emphasis on Central Otago as well as the Waikato region. Throughout his career, marked especially by exemplary leadership, accomplished administration, and commitment to his staff and students at the University of Waikato, John McCraw also contributed to the communities in which he lived through public service organizations and as a public speaker. He received a number of awards including an MBE, fellowship, and companionship, and, uniquely, is commemorated also with a glacier, a fossil, and a museum-based research room named for him. Emeritus Professor John McCraw passed away on the 14th of December, 2014. An obituary, entitled “Dedicated to earth science and his students”, was published in the Waikato Times on the 10th of January, 2015

Civil Society, Social Capital and Governance: Liberal Policy Agendas and Indigenous Civil Society: the Fa'asamoa as a Case Study

The funding of civil society has become a key aspect of the governance agenda for international aid. This arises out of a number of theories linking civil society to better governance through the leveraging of social capital. These theories find their genesis in a distinctly liberal body of work that has drawn its findings from Western historical experience. In particular, the work of Robert Putnam and many like him in the 1990's draws its inspiration from Alexis d'Tocqueville's observations of democratic life in the early nineteenth century United States. Here, civic associational, according to Tocqueville, played a key part in the vibrant democratic spirit of the USA. Putnam's own findings, on the difference between governance outcomes in Southern and Northern Italy, mirror those of Tocqueville. Although the formulations of civil society and social capital inherent in this liberal tradition are but one among many theories, they are the ones that have influenced the international donors and the allocation of development assistance money has reflected this. Civil society funding generally goes to ideal types of organisations that most resemble a Western conception of civil society. In particular, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) have proliferated to take advantage of this. This may well be overlooking many key forms of civil society that already exist in developing countries. A liberal reading of civil society that focuses on the associative values of civil society organisations would miss groups that are characterised more by kin, ethnicity or tribal ties. The fa'asamoa (or 'Samoan way') is an example of just such an institution that may be viewed as too traditional and backward looking by liberal theory, but upon reflection performs many of the key roles ascribed to civil society including as an important provider of social capital. It could be that donors concerned with good governance would do better to further engage with traditional institutions such as the fa'asamoa, than to simply create a new class of civil society, dominated by NGO's over the top of existing social structures