Taylor and Francis Group, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 4(54), p. 431-434, 2011
DOI: 10.1080/00288306.2011.590212
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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.