Radiocarbon-dated faunal remains correlate very large rock avalanche deposit with prehistoric Alpine Fault rupture

Abstract

We present an example of where radiocarbon-dated faunal remains have allowed the likely age of a landslide deposit to be estimated. Radiocarbon dates were obtained for 3 skeletons and 13 coprolites (from 3 moa species), recovered from the surface of a very large (c. 25–30×10⁶ m³) rock avalanche deposit near Daley's Flat in the Dart River Valley, South Island, New Zealand. The calibrated age of the oldest specimen (AD 975–1224; 95.4% confidence range) provides a minimum age for the deposit. We therefore suggest a possible correlation between the Daley's Flat rock avalanche deposit and regional estimates for a major Alpine Fault rupture during the 10th Century AD.