Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
The Waipaoa River on the North Island, New Zealand has been observed to have tremendous sediment loads especially at times of increased water supply. It has been previously thought to have been the result of poor land practices, mainly the European deforestation. The hypothesis formed is that the sediment supply becomes so dense that it actually is transported as a hyperpycnal flow driven by gravity along the ocean floor and that there has been an increase in erosion levels since the European Deforestation. Testing used to test this is in the form of visual interpretation of sediment, Pb210 dating, grain size analysis, and CHN analysis. The Pb210 data retrieved gave an estimated accumulation rate of .44 cm/yr. The CHN analysis revealed that the source of the sediment was most likely a mix of terrestrial and marine sediment with a vast majority of it being marine. The grain size analysis showed the trend of not a hyperpycnal flow rather that of a suspended sediment flow.
Date Awarded
2004
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Brent E. Owens
Recommended Citation
Schiavone, Josiah Chilton, "Sedimentation from the Waipaoa River, North Island, New Zealand" (2004). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 141.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/141
