Tectonic activity and the history of Wairau Bar, New Zealand’s iconic site of early settlement

Abstract

ABSTRACTWairau Bar, possibly New Zealand's most significant archaeological site, is in a hazardous location. Since it was first settled, the site has several times been severely shaken by earthquakes and inundated by tsunamis. These events have impacted on the site's surroundings, on the archaeological remains in the site and possibly directly on the site's inhabitants. Observed impacts from the CE 1855 tsunami include demolition of buildings, scouring and fissuring of the ground surface, and stranding of fish. Inferred effects of the CE 1855 and earlier tsunamis include reworking and redepositing of archaeological material, and the possibility that some burials found on the site are of people killed by a tsunami. Judging from past earthquakes, and sea level rise from climate change, the site may not survive to the end of this century, an outcome that could be ameliorated by tectonic uplift.