The Rotoiti Caldera is a postulated, mainly infilled sub caldera of the

Ōkataina Caldera Ōkataina Caldera (Ōkataina Volcanic Centre, also spelled Okataina) is a massive, recently active volcanic caldera and its associated volcanoes located in Taupō Volcanic Zone of New Zealand's North Island. It is just east of the smaller Rotoru ...

based upon gravitational and magnetic evidence. While

bathymetry Bathymetry (; ) is the study of underwater depth of ocean floors (''seabed topography''), lake floors, or river floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry or topography. The first recorded evidence of water de ...

of Lake Rotoiti is consistent with volcanic vents being present, they could be in an area of collapse subsidence outside the north western margins of the Rotoiti Caldera itself. It erupted of magma that is used in the recent

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock (geology), rock layers (Stratum, strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary rock, sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigrap ...

of much of the northern North Island. It was formed in the larger paired eruption with the lesser Earthquake Flat vents linked by tectonic interaction across the length of the Ōkataina Caldera.Houghton B F, Wilson C J N, McWilliams M O, Lanphere M A, Weaver S D, Briggs R M, Pringle M S, 1995
Chronology and dynamics of a large silicic magmatic system: Central Taupo Volcano Zone, New Zealand
Geology, 23: 13-16. The series of eruptions was about 50,000 years ago, with the resulting widespread Rotoiti ignimbrite and several layers of Rotoiti/Rotoehu

tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they rem ...

/ brecca/ash giving challenges in consistent dating.Ages assigned to the Rotoiti/Rotoehu eruptives currently appear to vary depending upon methodology by about 15,000 years in the literature. This is problematic as many ages of volcanics in the Northern North Island would be more definite if a single agreed value existed. The issue of previous inaccurate age assignment started with a new figure for Rotoehu Ash of 64,000 ± 1650 cal.yr.(Wilson et al 1992) which was initially widely accepted. The youngest age assigned is 44,300 years ago (Shane et al 2003). The problems with some older techniques were possibly not resolved with new techniques that could explain the discrepancy and that resulted in 47,400 ± 1500 years ago (Flude et al 2016), while one recent peer reviewed work gave 61,000 ± 1400 cal.yr (Villamor et al 2022). Other, mainly recent chronology studies have a younger date of 45,200 ± 1650 cal.yr. (Danišík et al 2020 and 2012), 45,100 ± 3300 years ago (Peti et al 2020), 47,400 ± 1500 years ago (Gilgour et al 2008), and before these 65,000 years ago (Spinks 2005). A recent review of 27 determinations gave the consensus range as between about 45 and about 55 cal ka (Hopkins et al. 2021). For more on this age issue see notes to

Puhipuhi Embayment The Puhipuhi Embayment (also Puhipuhi Basin) is a volcanic feature in Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand associated with the collapse of the Ōkataina Caldera wall to its west. Its latest significant volcanic eruption was about 31,500 years ago ...

. It was subsequently infilled by later eruptive activity to a depth of over . The paired eruptions may have erupted about of

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotoiti Caldera Calderas of New Zealand Taupō Volcanic Zone VEI-7 volcanoes Pleistocene calderas Holocene calderas Volcanoes of the Bay of Plenty Region