Palaeogeography of the Rove-Bourewa Area, Southwest Vitilevu Island, Fiji
Kirti Lal
Time: 12–1 pm
Venue: M107 Lecture Theatre, Marine Campus
For the first time, a sediment core spanning the entire Holocene has been analysed from Fiji. The 6-m core was obtained from the floor of an ancient coastal lagoon (palaeolagoon) adjacent to Bourewa, the site of the earliest-known human settlement in this island group. The basal sediments, just above bedrock, date from 11,470 cal BP. A major transition occurs around 8000 cal BP when marine influences on palaeolagoon sedimentation increase sharply. Shallow-water marine conditions are attained around 4630 cal BP and last until 3480 cal BP, after which there is a regressive phase lasting until 2025 cal BP. It was during the early stages of the late-mid-Holocene sea-level fall, about 3210 cal years BP, that southwest Viti Levu was first colonised by humans. The area was abandoned around 2500 cal BP, probably driven by a reduction in food resources associated with sea-level fall.
