Description: Highlights • Sedimentary characteristics and geochemistry of tephra deposits are reported across 21 cores. • Four types of tephra lithofacies are distinguished. • Geomorphic sub-environments play a key role in tephra preservation. • Isolated semi-confined basin settings generally preserve the highest number of tephra deposits. • For eruptions VEI≥6 volcaniclastic sediments may swamp the marine system for centuries. Tephra (volcanic ash) deposits are important isochronous markers for correlating marine sediments or events recorded in marine sediment cores. However, the active tectonics that are commonly associated with volcanic activity at plate tectonicboundaries also drive large-scale deformation, leading to steep and variable local and regional bathymetry (e.g., ridges, basins and canyons systems). This complex bathymetry influences gravity-flow behaviour and paths, which can rework and redeposit tephras, resulting in stratigraphic complexities. Such as, the mis-identification of primary versus reworked tephra deposits, and in turn lead to the development of inaccurate chronostratigraphies. Here we present 36 tephra deposits from 21 shallow marine sediment cores that traverse the length of the southern and central margin of eastern North Island, New Zealand. Using major and trace element geochemical compositions for glass shards from the tephras, we correlate these deposits to three major rhyolitic eruptions from the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) approximately 200 km west, including; Taupō (1718 cal yrs. BP), Kaharoa (636 cal yrs. BP), and Kawakawa/Oruanui (KOT; 25.4 ka). Based on their morphology, depositional character and inferred emplacement mechanisms, the tephra deposits are grouped into four lithofacies types; (1) primary deposits, (2) volcaniclastic-rich turbidites, (3) blebs/pods of volcaniclastic-rich material, and (4) complex deposits. Primary deposits form syn-eruptively through airfall onto the ocean surface, settling over hours to days through the water column under diffuse vertical gravity currents. Volcaniclastic-rich turbidites are formed through secondary redeposition and entrainment by post-eruptive turbidity currents, while blebs/pods of material are interpreted to have formed by erosion and/or bioturbation. Complex deposits form through the interaction of all these mechanisms producing an overthickened array of primary and redeposited units within a single facies. Herein, we argue that redeposited units of volcaniclastic-rich turbidites or small blebs/pods can be used as tentative chronological markers if the geochemical composition of the glass shards have a homogeneous signature, i.e. a single eruptive source. Where the glass shards in redeposited units have mixed geochemical compositions, and are not stratigraphically associated with a primary deposit source, they cannot be used as chronological marker horizons. This emphasises the need for accurate and rigorous data reduction without overlooking the importance of data points that are statistical outliers. We also show that the highest preservation of tephra deposits is found in semi-confined isolated basin settings, including a wide range of deposit types. Due to erosive sediment flows that bypass through submarine distributary systems, these major sediment dispersal pathways preserve few volcaniclastic deposits. Our findings have important implications not only for identifying primary or redeposited characteristics in marine tephras for building accurate chronostratigraphies, but also as a guide geomorphic sub-environments with the best preservation of tephras in marine sedimentary systems.

Description: Tephra deposits in Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ) have been studied for 〉180 years. The now-global discipline of tephrochronology, which has some developmental roots in ANZ, forms the basis of a powerful chronostratigraphic correlational tool and age-equivalent dating method for geological, volcanological, palaeoenvironmental, and archaeological research in ANZ. Its utility is founded on the key principle that tephras or cryptotephras provide widespread isochrons in many different environments. In the first part of this article, we summarise the history of tephra studies in ANZ and then describe how tephras have been mapped, characterised, and correlated using field and laboratory-based methods. We document advances in geochemical fingerprinting of glass; tephra/cryptotephra detection and correlation by sediment-core scanning methods (e.g. X-radiography, CT imaging, XRF elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility); statistical correlation methods; and dating of tephras/cryptotephras. We discuss the advent of ANZ cryptotephra studies (from mid-1970s) and their more-recent growth. The second part comprises examples of applications of tephrochronology in ANZ: climate-event stratigraphy (NZ-INTIMATE project); eruptive-event stratigraphy in the Auckland Volcanic Field; developments in the marine tephra record; advances in identifying, correlating, and dating old (pre-50 ka) tephras and weathered-tephra deposits; forming soils/paleosols on tephras; tephras and archaeology; Kopouatai bog tephrostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments; and volcanic-hazard assessments.

Description: This review focuses on the recognition of volcanic ash occurrences in marine sediment cores and on using their appearance and properties to deduce their origin. Widespread marine tephra layers are important marker horizons for both volcanological as well as general geological investigations. We describe ash detection by visual inspection and logging of sediment cores. Ash layer structure and texture, particle morphologies and lithological compositions of primary volcanic deposits are summarized and processes modifying them are discussed, both natural processes acting on and in the seafloor, i.e. erosion and bioturbation, and anthropogenic modifications during drilling/coring and core preparation. We discuss primary emplacement processes of marine fall and flow tephra deposits derived from either subaerial or submarine sources in order to identify distinguishing properties. We also elaborate on processes generating secondary, resedimented volcaniclastic layers such as submarine landslides and shelf erosion as well as fluvial input and ice-rafting, and how they can be distinguished from primary volcaniclastic deposits, which is essential in tephrostratigraphy. Finally, methods of tephra correlation between cores and on-land deposits/volcanoes are illustrated because they allow us to extend the 1D information from single cores to 3D distribution and facies changes of tephras and to bridge the land–sea gap.