Waipuna Caves [Moa Bone Cave]
-39.517905,175.830191
Location
Waipuna Cave is located in the Waitomo district, North Island, New Zealand (38∘18′41.3′′ S, 175∘1′14.3′′ E; 395 m above sea level), ca. 27 km from the western coast. Waipuna Cave is a non-commercial cave jointly managed between landowners and the Department of Conservation. Waipuna is subject to a temperate climate because of its geographical location at latitude 38° 15S’ and longitude 175° 06’E. Sources: * Cinthya Nava-Fernandez, Adam Hartland, Fernando Gázquez, Ola Kwiecien, Norbert Marwan, Bethany Fox, John Hellstrom, Andrew Pearson, Brittany Ward, Amanda French, David A. Hodell, Adrian Immenhauser, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, "Pacific climate reflected in Waipuna Cave drip water hydrochemistry", in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Articles Volume 24, issue 6 HESS, 24, 3361–3380, 2020, edited by European Geosciences Union (EGU) and Copernicus publications : hess.copernicus.org/articles/24/3361/2020/ * Hartland, A., White, J. 2019. "Geochemistry of Waipuna Cave". In: Lowe, D.J., Pittari, A. (editors), Field Trip Guides. Geosciences 2019 Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand (24-29 November). Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication 155B, pp. 1−7 : gsnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Shop/Products/GSNZ_annu…
Description
Photographies de Philippe CROCHET
Geochemistry of Waipuna Cave : introduction and geological context
Waipuna Cave is the subject of a multi-year cave monitoring programme, which focusses on the development of novel quantitative proxies for alaeoclimatology. The parameters measured in the cave are the elemental and isotopic composition of drips, electrical conductivity, drip rate and temperature. These results are compared to the meteorological records in order to calibrate proxies for quantitative climate reconstruction. The larger purpose of this data collection is to understand the dynamics of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation with the southern westerlies and the local response to changes in their interplay (Blogs 2019). Waipuna Cave is located on an unnamed northeast trending fault west of the southern end of the Hikurangi Fault (Nelson 1973, 1978; Edbrooke 2005). Faults are permeable pathways to focus water flow into karstic landscapes, with these widening over time. To the west of the karst landscape is the Herangi Range, a thrusted block of greywacke basement corresponding to the Murihiku Terrane. This range protrudes 180–240 m above sea level (Nelson 1973). Source and content : * Hartland, A., White, J. 2019. "Geochemistry of Waipuna Cave". In: Lowe, D.J., Pittari, A. (editors), Field Trip Guides. Geosciences 2019 Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand (24-29 November). Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication 155B, pp. 1−7 : gsnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Shop/Products/GSNZ_annu…
Speleometry
This cave is 3560 m long (New Zealand Speleological Society 2018) and 20 m deep from the entrance point. Source: * Hartland, A., White, J. 2019. "Geochemistry of Waipuna Cave". In: Lowe, D.J., Pittari, A. (editors), Field Trip Guides. Geosciences 2019 Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand (24-29 November). Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication 155B, pp. 1−7 : gsnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Shop/Products/GSNZ_annu…