Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
The Smithsonian Institution
Publication Year:
1975
Publication Place
Washington, USA
Physical Description:
235 p.
Call Number
[EL]
Relevant Countries
Cook Islands
Pacific Region
Collection
Material Type
Language
English
Record ID:
34624
Legacy PEIN ID:
74625
General Notes
Available online
Available online
Subject Heading(s)
Reef - Management - Cook Islands
Environment
Marine resources - Conservation - Cook Islands
Marine resources - Management - Cook Islands
Protected areas - Oceania
Protected areas - Management
Marine resource
Marine resource management
Marine resources - Pacific - Oceania
Marine resources - Cook Islands
Cook Islands
Abstract
Rarotonga and Aitutaki form the summits of separate volcanic masses rising from depths of 4000 m, at which depth the cones are 45-55 km in diameter (Summerhayes and Kibblewh 1966, 1967).The lower slopes of the cones average 15-25 increasing to 30 in the upper 750 m and becoming very steep the surface reef is approached. The Mauke-Aitutaki line of islands is thought to be of early Tertiary age: the surface volcanics are much eroded, with a subdued topography, or are capped with limestones (Wood, 1967; Wood and Hay, 1970). On Rarotonga, where the relief is much stronger (maximum altitude 640 m), radiometric ages of 2.3-2.8 million years date the 1 as Pliocene (Tarling, 1967). Mangaia, with a cap of Oligoce Miocene limestones, must be much older (Marshall, 1927). Evi dence from the deep-sea drilling programme indicates that th ocean floor in the area of the southern Cooks is Paleogene (22.5-65 million years) in age (Winterer, 1973), thus provid a maximum age for the islands. It is probable that the gross history of the Cooks resembles that of other, better-known reef-capped Pacific volcanic cones known to have been initia in the early Tertiary.
Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
The Smithsonian Institution
Publication Year:
1975
Publication Place
Washington, USA
Physical Description:
235 p.
Call Number
[EL]
Relevant Countries
Cook Islands
Pacific Region
Collection
Material Type
Language
English
Record ID:
34624
Legacy PEIN ID:
74625
General Notes
Available online
Record Created: 06-May-2008
Record Modified: 23-Feb-2021