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Foulden Maar

January 01, 1970

Foulden Maar is a fossil site near Middlemarch in Otago, New Zealand. The fossils were deposited in the small deep crater lake of a maar formed around 23 million years ago by a volcano in the Miocene era. The crater lake existed for a period of around 130,000 years, and during this time it gradually filled up with diatomite, composed of annual layers of silica-shelled algae (diatoms). These layers of diatomite have preserved exceptional fossils of fish from the crater lake, and plants, spiders and insects from the sub-tropical forest that developed around the crater. The site is the only known maar of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and is one of New Zealand's pre-eminent fossil sites. A 2018 proposal to mine Foulden Maar for livestock-food additive attracted significant public opposition. The mining company went into receivership in 2019, and in 2023, the Dunedin City Council reached an agreement with the receivers to purchase the land, including the surrender of the mining permits.

Foulden Maar
Maar
Foulden Maar pit as seen from Moonlight Road
Coordinates: 45°31′36″S 170°13′06″E / 45.5268°S 170.2184°E / -45.5268; 170.2184
LocationOtago, New Zealand
AgeMiocene, ~23.2 Ma
↓
Volcanic fieldWaipiata

Etymology edit

Foulden Maar is named for the nearby farm of Foulden Hills, itself probably named after the town of Foulden in the Scottish Borders. Many other local locations—such as Kelso, Ettrick, Roxburgh, and the nearby Nenthorn—are similarly named.[2]

Volcanology edit

 
Map centred on Foulden Maar showing nearby surface basalt deposits. Clicking on the map enlarges it, and enables panning and mouseover of volcano name/wikilink and ages before present. Key for the volcanics that are shown with panning is:   basalt (shades of brown/orange),   monogenetic basalts,   undifferentiated basalts,   arc basalts,   arc ring basalts,   olivine (basalts shades of olive),   phonolite (pale salmon),   dacite,   andesite (shades of red),   basaltic andesite,   rhyolite, (ignimbrite is lighter shades of violet), and   plutonic or intusive (gray) - so dolerite/diabase/microgabbro will have shadings towards gray compared to erupted basalt.

Dunedin Volcanic Group edit

The landscape of the east Otago region includes a large number of volcanoes. Early studies indicated there were separate volcanic areas within the region – Waipiata Volcanic Field and the Dunedin Volcanic Group which contained the Dunedin Volcano and basaltic monogenetic volcanoes like the maar. However, later research has found that these volcanic fields overlap in both space and time.[3]

Foulden Maar is now considered to be one of around 150 volcanoes in the Dunedin Volcanic Group. Eruptions within the group began around 25 Ma near Middlemarch and finished with the youngest in the group by around 9 Ma.[3] The group is considered extinct.[4]: 20 

The maar edit

Main article: Maar

A maar is a volcanic crater with a low rim that is formed in an explosion (known as a phreatomagmatic eruption), when magma or hot lava comes into contact with groundwater. The maar typically fills with water to become a crater lake. Foulden Maar is a maar-diatreme volcano. The diatreme is a long vertical conduit where gas-filled magma rises to the surface of the Earth during an eruption.

The Foulden Maar crater is filled with fossilised diatomite as well as sedimentary rock, debris flows, and pyroclastic rocks.[5][6]

Dating the eruption edit

Two main methods have been used for dating the eruption of Foulden Maar. These are biostratigraphy and radiometric dating, based on analysis of samples from drill cores to depth of 180 metres (590 ft) taken at the site in June 2009.

Biostratigraphy edit

Sedimentary rocks in New Zealand can be dated using analysis based on existing data about the first and last occurrences of key taxa in fossil records. Fossil pollen from the Foulden Maar drill cores has been dated at 23 Ma with reference to fossil pollen found at other fossil sites in Southland and Otago.[4]: 36 

Radiometric dating edit

This method uses the known rate of decay of radioactive isotopes present in minerals. In this case, the analysis was based on the decay of isotopes of argon. Analysis of volcanic clast taken from a depth of 126 metres (413 ft) in the drill core indicated an age of 23.38 Ma.[4]: 37  Subsequent dating adjustment is to 23.2 ± 0.4 Ma.[3]

Other evidence edit

A geomagnetic reversal was discovered in minerals at a depth of around 107 metres (351 ft) in the drill core. A global magnetic polarity time scale shows few reversals in the general time frame indicated by other dating methods for the eruption, and the reversal found in the drill core provides supporting evidence for the age.[4]: 37 

Geology edit

 
Holotype of the ant Austroponera schneideri

The Foulden Maar crater is approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in diameter; its diatomaceous layer is estimated to be 200 metres (660 ft) deep.[7] The Foulden Maar lake formed in a volcanic crater during the Waitakian (early Miocene), approximately 23 million years ago.[5][8] It was deep and anoxic at the bottom, which precluded decomposition of plant and animal remains. The lake was hydrologically isolated, meaning that no rivers or streams disturbed the sedimentation, which formed multiple laminated layers. These thin layers of silica are known as diatomite, as they are composed primarily of one diatom species, Encyonema jordaniforme Krammer, that grew on submerged rocks or aquatic plants in the lake.[9][10] As the lake gradually filled in and dried out, the diatomite layers capture a detailed fossil record of about 130,000 years.[1]

Palaeontology edit

Foulden Maar is one of New Zealand's pre-eminent fossil sites, and is unique in the Southern Hemisphere for the time period it covers.[11][12] Fossils were first discovered at the site by gold prospectors in the early 1870s and were described as "polishing powder" by the geologists Frederick Hutton and George Ulrich in 1875.[13]

Although excavations have been limited to a small area the size of a tennis court, palaeontologists have discovered hundreds of undescribed species.[14] The sediments are rich in fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, pollen, and bark from plants, as well as fungi. Several new species of plants have been discovered, and the fossil plant genus Fouldenia is named in honour of its type locality Foulden Maar.[15]

Fossilised freshwater fish are common. The earliest galaxiid fish fossil and the earliest known fossilised eel both come from Foulden Maar.[16] Numerous arthropod fossils have been found at the site, among them Araneae (spiders), Plecoptera (stoneflies), Odonata (dragonflies), Isoptera (termites), Hemiptera (true bugs), Diptera (true flies), Coleoptera (beetles), Trichoptera (caddis flies), and Hymenoptera (wasps, ants and bees).[7] The four arachnids found at Foulden Maar are the first arachnid fossils identified in New Zealand; previous spider specimens had been found in amber but were not identifiable.[17] The first fossil hymenopteran in New Zealand is an ant found at Foulden Maar.[18] Fossils of immature aquatic flies obtained from Foulden Maar are helping scientists to shed light on the ecological history of true flies in New Zealand.[19] 

  •  
    University of Otago students visiting the fossil site in 2006
  •  
    Searching for fossils
  •  
    A fossil fish

Palaeoecology edit

 
This reconstruction of the lake at Foulden Maar 23 million years ago was commissioned by palaeontologist Dr. Daphne Lee and drawn by artist/ecologist Dr. Paula Peeters

The fossil evidence derived from pollen and spores suggests a warm temperate or sub-tropical rain forest with canopy trees, with an understorey of shrubs, ferns and on the margins pioneer species. Climatically, the area resembled modern-day south-eastern Queensland with species that no longer occur in the New Zealand flora.[9] The lake contained small and large galaxiid fishes and eels, ducks (inferred from coprolites), and likely crocodiles as well.[20][21]

Leaf fossils from the deposit have been used to link past spikes in carbon dioxide levels with melting of Antarctic ice,[22][23][24] and the variations in the laminations of the diatomite have been studied to reveal the New Zealand climate from that time.[1]

Mining edit

Diatomite was extracted in small quantities from the site during World War II when transport difficulties hindered access to foreign sources.[25][26] Diatomite has a range of applications, depending primarily on purity, diatom size, and the trace elements present.

1990s operation edit

Foulden Maar is on privately owned land. The area was initially developed for mining by Featherston Resources Ltd in 1997.[27] The deposit was estimated as 5 million tonnes (Mt) by NZ Petroleum and Minerals.[28] This proved uneconomic for the company, and its assets were sold to Plaman Resources Ltd in March 2015.[27]

2019 proposal edit

Plaman Resources claimed the size of the deposit was 31 Mt.[29] The shareholders for Plaman Resources are Iris Corporation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (50.95 percent) and Burleigh Nominees Ltd, Douglas, Isle of Man (49.05 percent).[30] Plaman Resources' shareholders, the Iris Corporation and Burleigh Nominees, have allegedly been involved in corruption and humans-rights abuses and have unpaid debts.[31] It was unclear if Iris Corporation would remain a shareholder of Plaman if Overseas Investment Office (OIO) approval for the mine was received.[32]

 
Galaxias effusus from Foulden Maar is the oldest known species of Galaxias, the group to which whitebait belong.

Plaman held the mining rights and planned to turn all of the fossil-containing diatomite into an additive for incorporating into the food of intensively farmed animals such as ducks and pigs.[33] Initial seed funding of about US$20 million (NZ$28 million) was raised through Goldman Sachs New Zealand Holdings, the Auckland branch of New York stock-exchange listed investment bank in August 2018.[34] The financial viability of these plans was reported to hinge on the purchase of an adjoining farm, which the OIO must rule on.[11][35] No timetable was set for the decision.[36] The proposal involved building a new $36.8m processing plant at Milton to crush the diatomite before shipping offshore from Port Chalmers or Bluff. It was estimated by the company that the trucking and processing would create 100 jobs over 27 years.[33] Plaman discussed with local councils applying to New Zealand's Provincial Growth Fund for help with the costs of building the processing plant, although no application was made.[37]

Previous mining at the site yielded low-quality diatomite only suitable for inclusion in concrete, rather than the high-quality product Plaman was marketing as "Black Pearl".[35] Plaman claimed that livestock will benefit nutritionally from Black Pearl, because the diatomite is "rich in natural organic matter (which contains humics, such as humic and fulvic acid) and other valuable nutrients, which have been shown to be beneficial in animal nutrition."[38] Animal nutrition experts expressed doubt that the product produced by Plaman will have any animal-health benefits, as there is no published data to support their claims.[39] Concerns were expressed by the New Zealand Green Party that the diatomite would be sold as fertiliser to support the production of palm oil.[27]

Plaman Resources offered to refrain from mining nearby Hindon Maar if opposition to the Foulden Maar proposal was dropped. They also offered to set aside 5 hectares (12 acres) (12–20% of the deposit) of the eastern pit at Foulden Maar for scientific research,[40] but geologists said that if the deposit is drained for mining the fossils may be lost regardless.[41]

The company was placed in receivership and voluntary liquidation in June 2019, and the OIO approval process was placed on hold.[42][43] The Save Foulden Maar group considered crowdfunding to permanently protect the site.[44]

Opposition edit

Some locals were opposed to the anticipated levels of dust, noise, and general disruption the proposed mine would create.[35] The Otago Regional Council granted Plaman Resources resource consent to discharge air dust for the purpose of quarrying diatomite until 1 July 2020.[45] The original mining permit was for 20 years but was extended to November 2033.[46] A wider group of people concerned about the loss of the unique fossil record described as "Dunedin's Pompeii" and an "irreplaceable treasure box"[35][47] launched a petition to preserve the site, garnering nearly 10,000 signatures in the first month.[31][48][49] A leaked report by Goldman Sachs details the engagement of former Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove as a lobbyist to "secure approval" for the mine.[35]

Some locals wanted to see the area turned into a geo-park, along similar lines to other diatomite sites in Norway, Germany, and China.[47][50] Former Prime Minister Helen Clark suggested that the site could be protected as a scientific reserve under the Reserves Act 1977,[51] saying "It just doesn't stack up. It's a question of values. Do we value knowledge? Do we value natural heritage? Do we value science and research, or do we just want to a quick dollar from a low value pit? I mean, really, it's distressing."[31][52][53]

MP Clare Curran voiced support for the mining proposal, saying that she had been given assurances by Plaman.[53] She argued that "misinformation" was abundant due to the slow overseas-investment-approval process and said that the resource-consent process would still need to be followed.[53] Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, who wrote a letter of support for the mining proposal, publicly called for clarification from Plaman after hearing details of the leaked Goldman Sachs report.[54] Clutha Mayor Bryce Cadogan, who also supported the proposal, expressed frustration that commercial sensitivity prevented the release of all the information in favour of the mine.[54]

Dunedin City Council councillor Aaron Hawkins proposed that the council should "recognise the importance of Foulden Maar, and support its preservation, and protection as a scientific resource", and the council voted to do so, later formally opposing the mining proposal.[55][56] The council made this decision after hearing from Daphne Lee, a palaeontologist and associate professor at the University of Otago, explaining the scientific importance of the site.[57] The University of Otago also formally opposed the mining proposal.[58] Sir Alan Mark, chair of the environmental group the Wise Response Society, called for the government to purchase the site and establish a geological reserve.[59]

Juliet Gerrard, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser, said that "the tale is far from simple and at least two weak spots at the interface of science and policy are exposed as we dig through the complexities: there is no obvious point in central government to consider the value of a fossil record; and the science community has perhaps not previously sufficiently communicated the national and international value of this geological site."[60] The Geoscience Society of New Zealand called for the mining proposal to be stopped, with President Jennifer Eccles saying, "New Zealand’s national identity is strongly bound to its unique plants and animals. We cannot stand by and see this fountain of paleontological knowledge about where we have come from destroyed; particularly not for so little transient local and national gain."[12][61]

In November 2019, the Dunedin City Council issued a "notice of desire" under the Public Works Act, signalling the intention to purchase the land and return it to public ownership.[62] As of September 2022, the Dunedin City Council had not proceeded with acquiring the land under the Public Works Act, and the protection of the site remained unclear. Scientists were unable to access the site.[63]

Surrender of mining permits edit

In February 2023, the Dunedin City Council reached an agreement with the receivers for Plaman Resources for the purchase 42 hectares (100 acres) of land at the site. The agreement included Plaman surrendering mining permits. The total cost of the purchase was $924,000.[64][65]

See also edit

References edit

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  2. ^ Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. pp. 201, 268, 354. ISBN 978-0-14-320410-7.
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Further reading edit

External links edit

  Media related to Foulden Maar at Wikimedia Commons

  • Prime TV series Beneath NZ (episode 2, aired 16 June 2019), 00:28:00–00:36:00

January 01, 1970
foulden, maar, fossil, site, near, middlemarch, otago, zealand, fossils, were, deposited, small, deep, crater, lake, maar, formed, around, million, years, volcano, miocene, crater, lake, existed, period, around, years, during, this, time, gradually, filled, wi. Foulden Maar is a fossil site near Middlemarch in Otago New Zealand The fossils were deposited in the small deep crater lake of a maar formed around 23 million years ago by a volcano in the Miocene era The crater lake existed for a period of around 130 000 years and during this time it gradually filled up with diatomite composed of annual layers of silica shelled algae diatoms These layers of diatomite have preserved exceptional fossils of fish from the crater lake and plants spiders and insects from the sub tropical forest that developed around the crater The site is the only known maar of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and is one of New Zealand s pre eminent fossil sites A 2018 proposal to mine Foulden Maar for livestock food additive attracted significant public opposition The mining company went into receivership in 2019 and in 2023 the Dunedin City Council reached an agreement with the receivers to purchase the land including the surrender of the mining permits Foulden MaarMaarFoulden Maar pit as seen from Moonlight RoadCoordinates 45 31 36 S 170 13 06 E 45 5268 S 170 2184 E 45 5268 170 2184LocationOtago New ZealandAgeMiocene 23 2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Volcanic fieldWaipiata Contents 1 Etymology 2 Volcanology 2 1 Dunedin Volcanic Group 2 2 The maar 2 3 Dating the eruption 2 3 1 Biostratigraphy 2 3 2 Radiometric dating 2 3 3 Other evidence 3 Geology 4 Palaeontology 5 Palaeoecology 6 Mining 6 1 1990s operation 6 2 2019 proposal 6 2 1 Opposition 6 3 Surrender of mining permits 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksEtymology editFoulden Maar is named for the nearby farm of Foulden Hills itself probably named after the town of Foulden in the Scottish Borders Many other local locations such as Kelso Ettrick Roxburgh and the nearby Nenthorn are similarly named 2 Volcanology edit nbsp Map centred on Foulden Maar showing nearby surface basalt deposits Clicking on the map enlarges it and enables panning and mouseover of volcano name wikilink and ages before present Key for the volcanics that are shown with panning is basalt shades of brown orange monogenetic basalts undifferentiated basalts arc basalts arc ring basalts olivine basalts shades of olive phonolite pale salmon dacite andesite shades of red basaltic andesite rhyolite ignimbrite is lighter shades of violet and plutonic or intusive gray so dolerite diabase microgabbro will have shadings towards gray compared to erupted basalt Dunedin Volcanic Group edit The landscape of the east Otago region includes a large number of volcanoes Early studies indicated there were separate volcanic areas within the region Waipiata Volcanic Field and the Dunedin Volcanic Group which contained the Dunedin Volcano and basaltic monogenetic volcanoes like the maar However later research has found that these volcanic fields overlap in both space and time 3 Foulden Maar is now considered to be one of around 150 volcanoes in the Dunedin Volcanic Group Eruptions within the group began around 25 Ma near Middlemarch and finished with the youngest in the group by around 9 Ma 3 The group is considered extinct 4 20 The maar edit Main article Maar A maar is a volcanic crater with a low rim that is formed in an explosion known as a phreatomagmatic eruption when magma or hot lava comes into contact with groundwater The maar typically fills with water to become a crater lake Foulden Maar is a maar diatreme volcano The diatreme is a long vertical conduit where gas filled magma rises to the surface of the Earth during an eruption The Foulden Maar crater is filled with fossilised diatomite as well as sedimentary rock debris flows and pyroclastic rocks 5 6 Dating the eruption edit Two main methods have been used for dating the eruption of Foulden Maar These are biostratigraphy and radiometric dating based on analysis of samples from drill cores to depth of 180 metres 590 ft taken at the site in June 2009 Biostratigraphy edit Sedimentary rocks in New Zealand can be dated using analysis based on existing data about the first and last occurrences of key taxa in fossil records Fossil pollen from the Foulden Maar drill cores has been dated at 23 Ma with reference to fossil pollen found at other fossil sites in Southland and Otago 4 36 Radiometric dating edit This method uses the known rate of decay of radioactive isotopes present in minerals In this case the analysis was based on the decay of isotopes of argon Analysis of volcanic clast taken from a depth of 126 metres 413 ft in the drill core indicated an age of 23 38 Ma 4 37 Subsequent dating adjustment is to 23 2 0 4 Ma 3 Other evidence edit A geomagnetic reversal was discovered in minerals at a depth of around 107 metres 351 ft in the drill core A global magnetic polarity time scale shows few reversals in the general time frame indicated by other dating methods for the eruption and the reversal found in the drill core provides supporting evidence for the age 4 37 Geology edit nbsp Holotype of the ant Austroponera schneideri The Foulden Maar crater is approximately 1 000 metres 3 300 ft in diameter its diatomaceous layer is estimated to be 200 metres 660 ft deep 7 The Foulden Maar lake formed in a volcanic crater during the Waitakian early Miocene approximately 23 million years ago 5 8 It was deep and anoxic at the bottom which precluded decomposition of plant and animal remains The lake was hydrologically isolated meaning that no rivers or streams disturbed the sedimentation which formed multiple laminated layers These thin layers of silica are known as diatomite as they are composed primarily of one diatom species Encyonema jordaniforme Krammer that grew on submerged rocks or aquatic plants in the lake 9 10 As the lake gradually filled in and dried out the diatomite layers capture a detailed fossil record of about 130 000 years 1 Palaeontology editFoulden Maar is one of New Zealand s pre eminent fossil sites and is unique in the Southern Hemisphere for the time period it covers 11 12 Fossils were first discovered at the site by gold prospectors in the early 1870s and were described as polishing powder by the geologists Frederick Hutton and George Ulrich in 1875 13 Although excavations have been limited to a small area the size of a tennis court palaeontologists have discovered hundreds of undescribed species 14 The sediments are rich in fossil flowers fruits seeds pollen and bark from plants as well as fungi Several new species of plants have been discovered and the fossil plant genus Fouldenia is named in honour of its type locality Foulden Maar 15 Fossilised freshwater fish are common The earliest galaxiid fish fossil and the earliest known fossilised eel both come from Foulden Maar 16 Numerous arthropod fossils have been found at the site among them Araneae spiders Plecoptera stoneflies Odonata dragonflies Isoptera termites Hemiptera true bugs Diptera true flies Coleoptera beetles Trichoptera caddis flies and Hymenoptera wasps ants and bees 7 The four arachnids found at Foulden Maar are the first arachnid fossils identified in New Zealand previous spider specimens had been found in amber but were not identifiable 17 The first fossil hymenopteran in New Zealand is an ant found at Foulden Maar 18 Fossils of immature aquatic flies obtained from Foulden Maar are helping scientists to shed light on the ecological history of true flies in New Zealand 19 nbsp University of Otago students visiting the fossil site in 2006 nbsp Searching for fossils nbsp A fossil fishPalaeoecology edit nbsp This reconstruction of the lake at Foulden Maar 23 million years ago was commissioned by palaeontologist Dr Daphne Lee and drawn by artist ecologist Dr Paula Peeters The fossil evidence derived from pollen and spores suggests a warm temperate or sub tropical rain forest with canopy trees with an understorey of shrubs ferns and on the margins pioneer species Climatically the area resembled modern day south eastern Queensland with species that no longer occur in the New Zealand flora 9 The lake contained small and large galaxiid fishes and eels ducks inferred from coprolites and likely crocodiles as well 20 21 Leaf fossils from the deposit have been used to link past spikes in carbon dioxide levels with melting of Antarctic ice 22 23 24 and the variations in the laminations of the diatomite have been studied to reveal the New Zealand climate from that time 1 Mining editDiatomite was extracted in small quantities from the site during World War II when transport difficulties hindered access to foreign sources 25 26 Diatomite has a range of applications depending primarily on purity diatom size and the trace elements present 1990s operation edit Foulden Maar is on privately owned land The area was initially developed for mining by Featherston Resources Ltd in 1997 27 The deposit was estimated as 5 million tonnes Mt by NZ Petroleum and Minerals 28 This proved uneconomic for the company and its assets were sold to Plaman Resources Ltd in March 2015 27 2019 proposal edit Plaman Resources claimed the size of the deposit was 31 Mt 29 The shareholders for Plaman Resources are Iris Corporation Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 50 95 percent and Burleigh Nominees Ltd Douglas Isle of Man 49 05 percent 30 Plaman Resources shareholders the Iris Corporation and Burleigh Nominees have allegedly been involved in corruption and humans rights abuses and have unpaid debts 31 It was unclear if Iris Corporation would remain a shareholder of Plaman if Overseas Investment Office OIO approval for the mine was received 32 nbsp Galaxias effusus from Foulden Maar is the oldest known species of Galaxias the group to which whitebait belong Plaman held the mining rights and planned to turn all of the fossil containing diatomite into an additive for incorporating into the food of intensively farmed animals such as ducks and pigs 33 Initial seed funding of about US 20 million NZ 28 million was raised through Goldman Sachs New Zealand Holdings the Auckland branch of New York stock exchange listed investment bank in August 2018 34 The financial viability of these plans was reported to hinge on the purchase of an adjoining farm which the OIO must rule on 11 35 No timetable was set for the decision 36 The proposal involved building a new 36 8m processing plant at Milton to crush the diatomite before shipping offshore from Port Chalmers or Bluff It was estimated by the company that the trucking and processing would create 100 jobs over 27 years 33 Plaman discussed with local councils applying to New Zealand s Provincial Growth Fund for help with the costs of building the processing plant although no application was made 37 Previous mining at the site yielded low quality diatomite only suitable for inclusion in concrete rather than the high quality product Plaman was marketing as Black Pearl 35 Plaman claimed that livestock will benefit nutritionally from Black Pearl because the diatomite is rich in natural organic matter which contains humics such as humic and fulvic acid and other valuable nutrients which have been shown to be beneficial in animal nutrition 38 Animal nutrition experts expressed doubt that the product produced by Plaman will have any animal health benefits as there is no published data to support their claims 39 Concerns were expressed by the New Zealand Green Party that the diatomite would be sold as fertiliser to support the production of palm oil 27 Plaman Resources offered to refrain from mining nearby Hindon Maar if opposition to the Foulden Maar proposal was dropped They also offered to set aside 5 hectares 12 acres 12 20 of the deposit of the eastern pit at Foulden Maar for scientific research 40 but geologists said that if the deposit is drained for mining the fossils may be lost regardless 41 The company was placed in receivership and voluntary liquidation in June 2019 and the OIO approval process was placed on hold 42 43 The Save Foulden Maar group considered crowdfunding to permanently protect the site 44 Opposition edit Some locals were opposed to the anticipated levels of dust noise and general disruption the proposed mine would create 35 The Otago Regional Council granted Plaman Resources resource consent to discharge air dust for the purpose of quarrying diatomite until 1 July 2020 45 The original mining permit was for 20 years but was extended to November 2033 46 A wider group of people concerned about the loss of the unique fossil record described as Dunedin s Pompeii and an irreplaceable treasure box 35 47 launched a petition to preserve the site garnering nearly 10 000 signatures in the first month 31 48 49 A leaked report by Goldman Sachs details the engagement of former Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove as a lobbyist to secure approval for the mine 35 Some locals wanted to see the area turned into a geo park along similar lines to other diatomite sites in Norway Germany and China 47 50 Former Prime Minister Helen Clark suggested that the site could be protected as a scientific reserve under the Reserves Act 1977 51 saying It just doesn t stack up It s a question of values Do we value knowledge Do we value natural heritage Do we value science and research or do we just want to a quick dollar from a low value pit I mean really it s distressing 31 52 53 MP Clare Curran voiced support for the mining proposal saying that she had been given assurances by Plaman 53 She argued that misinformation was abundant due to the slow overseas investment approval process and said that the resource consent process would still need to be followed 53 Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull who wrote a letter of support for the mining proposal publicly called for clarification from Plaman after hearing details of the leaked Goldman Sachs report 54 Clutha Mayor Bryce Cadogan who also supported the proposal expressed frustration that commercial sensitivity prevented the release of all the information in favour of the mine 54 Dunedin City Council councillor Aaron Hawkins proposed that the council should recognise the importance of Foulden Maar and support its preservation and protection as a scientific resource and the council voted to do so later formally opposing the mining proposal 55 56 The council made this decision after hearing from Daphne Lee a palaeontologist and associate professor at the University of Otago explaining the scientific importance of the site 57 The University of Otago also formally opposed the mining proposal 58 Sir Alan Mark chair of the environmental group the Wise Response Society called for the government to purchase the site and establish a geological reserve 59 Juliet Gerrard the Prime Minister s Chief Science Adviser said that the tale is far from simple and at least two weak spots at the interface of science and policy are exposed as we dig through the complexities there is no obvious point in central government to consider the value of a fossil record and the science community has perhaps not previously sufficiently communicated the national and international value of this geological site 60 The Geoscience Society of New Zealand called for the mining proposal to be stopped with President Jennifer Eccles saying New Zealand s national identity is strongly bound to its unique plants and animals We cannot stand by and see this fountain of paleontological knowledge about where we have come from destroyed particularly not for so little transient local and national gain 12 61 In November 2019 the Dunedin City Council issued a notice of desire under the Public Works Act signalling the intention to purchase the land and return it to public ownership 62 As of September 2022 the Dunedin City Council had not proceeded with acquiring the land under the Public Works Act and the protection of the site remained unclear Scientists were unable to access the site 63 Surrender of mining permits edit In February 2023 the Dunedin City Council reached an agreement with the receivers for Plaman Resources for the purchase 42 hectares 100 acres of land at the site The agreement included Plaman surrendering mining permits The total cost of the purchase was 924 000 64 65 See also editNatural history of New ZealandReferences edit a b c Lindqvist Jon K Lee Daphne E 1 December 2009 High frequency paleoclimate signals from Foulden Maar Waipiata Volcanic Field southern New Zealand An Early Miocene varved lacustrine diatomite deposit Sedimentary Geology 222 1 2 98 110 Bibcode 2009SedG 222 98L doi 10 1016 j sedgeo 2009 07 009 Reed A W 2010 Peter Dowling ed Place Names of New Zealand Rosedale North Shore Raupo pp 201 268 354 ISBN 978 0 14 320410 7 a b c Scott James M Pontesilli Alessio Brenna Marco White James D L Giacalone Emanuele Palin J Michael le Roux Petrus J 2020 The Dunedin Volcanic Group and a revised model for Zealandia s alkaline intraplate volcanism New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 63 4 510 529 Bibcode 2020NZJGG 63 510S doi 10 1080 00288306 2019 1707695 S2CID 212937447 a b c d Lee Daphne Conran John Kaulfuss Uwe 2022 Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar A window into Miocene Zealandia 1st ed Dunedin Otago University Press ISBN 978 1 99 004835 7 OL 38152412M Wikidata Q114442587 a b Kaulfuss Uwe 2013 Geology and Paleontology of Foulden Maar Otago New Zealand Doctor of Philosophy thesis University of Otago Archived from the original on 10 May 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Jones Daniel Amir 2012 The Geophysical Characterisation of the Foulden Maar Master of Science thesis University of Otago Archived from the original on 10 May 2019 Retrieved 11 May 2019 a b Lee Daphne E Kaulfuss Uwe Conran John G Bannister Jennifer M Lindqvist Jon K 1 October 2016 Biodiversity and palaeoecology of Foulden Maar an early Miocene Konservat Lagerstatte deposit in southern New Zealand Alcheringa An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 40 4 525 541 Bibcode 2016Alch 40 525L doi 10 1080 03115518 2016 1206321 ISSN 0311 5518 S2CID 132004293 Fossilworks Gateway to the Paleobiology Database fossilworks org Retrieved 17 December 2021 a b Mildenhall Dallas C Kennedy Elizabeth M Lee Daphne E Kaulfuss Uwe Bannister Jennifer M Fox Bethany Conran John G 2014 Palynology of the early Miocene Foulden Maar Otago New Zealand Diversity following destruction Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 204 27 42 Bibcode 2014RPaPa 204 27M doi 10 1016 j revpalbo 2014 02 003 subscription required Harper Margaret A Van De Vijver Bart Kaulfuss Uwe Lee Daphne E 2019 Resolving the confusion between two fossil freshwater diatoms from Otago New Zealand Encyonema jordanii and Encyonema jordaniforme Cymbellaceae Bacillariophyta Phytotaxa 394 4 231 243 doi 10 11646 phytotaxa 394 4 1 ISSN 1179 3163 S2CID 92579845 a b Hartley Simon 20 April 2019 Leaked report sheds light on mine project Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 22 April 2019 Retrieved 11 May 2019 a b GSNZ Release Google Docs Archived from the original on 18 October 2021 Retrieved 17 May 2019 Hutton F W Ulrich G H F 1875 Report on the geology and goldfields of Otago Dunedin NZ Mills McPhee Elena 30 May 2019 Paleontologist breaks silence horrified over Foulden Maar Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 28 May 2019 Retrieved 30 May 2019 Bannister Jennifer M Lee Daphne E Raine J Ian January 2005 Morphology and palaeoenvironmental context of Fouldenia staminosa a fossil flower with associated pollen from the Early Miocene of Otago New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Botany 43 2 515 525 Bibcode 2005NZJB 43 515B doi 10 1080 0028825X 2005 9512972 ISSN 0028 825X Hartley Simon 2 June 2018 Miners scientists unlikely allies Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 10 May 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Selden Paul A Kaulfuss Uwe 2 January 2019 Fossil arachnids from the earliest Miocene Foulden Maar Fossil Lagerstatte New Zealand Alcheringa An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 43 1 165 169 Bibcode 2019Alch 43 165S doi 10 1080 03115518 2018 1450446 ISSN 0311 5518 S2CID 115142767 Kaulfuss Uwe Harris Anthony C Conran John G Lee Daphne E 2 October 2014 An early Miocene ant subfam Amblyoponinae from Foulden Maar the first fossil Hymenoptera from New Zealand Alcheringa An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 38 4 568 574 Bibcode 2014Alch 38 568K doi 10 1080 03115518 2014 928181 ISSN 0311 5518 S2CID 129724250 Baranov Viktor O Haug Joachim T Kaulfuss Uwe 26 February 2024 New records of immature aquatic Diptera from the Foulden Maar Fossil Lagerstatte New Zealand and their biogeographic implications PeerJ 12 e17014 doi 10 7717 peerj 17014 ISSN 2167 8359 PMC 10903341 PMID 38426144 Fossil Hunt RNZ 17 March 2011 Archived from the original on 11 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 Peeters Paula 18 August 2016 Drawing on Queensland s present to recreate New Zealand s past Paperbark Writer Archived from the original on 11 May 2019 Retrieved 11 May 2019 Otago leaf fossils help solve major climate mystery RNZ 20 October 2016 Archived from the original on 10 May 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Backhouse Matthew 20 October 2016 Ancient crater lake in Central Otago offers clues for Antarctica The New Zealand Herald Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 11 May 2019 Morford Stacey 13 October 2016 Historic Shrinking of Antarctic Ice Sheet Linked to CO2 Spike Popular Science Archived from the original on 13 May 2019 Retrieved 13 May 2019 Skin Deep Secrets Evening Star Dunedin New Zealand No 23970 22 August 1941 Archived from the original on 10 April 2021 Retrieved 20 May 2019 via Papers Past Otago Institute Lecture by Dr Watt Otago Daily Times No 22341 15 August 1934 Archived from the original on 18 October 2021 Retrieved 20 May 2019 via Papers Past a b c Owens Peter 8 February 2016 Southland fertiliser popular with palm oil industries Quarry amp Mining Magazine Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 Christie T Douch C Winfield B and Thompson B Industrial Minerals in New Zealand Undated https www nzpam govt nz assets Uploads doing business mineral potential industrial minerals pdf Archived 22 January 2019 at the Wayback MachineAccessed 19 May 2019 PLAMAN Global Global Animal Nutrition and Health PLAMAN Global Archived from the original on 13 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 Plaman Resources Ltd Auckland NZ Companies Office Archived from the original on 18 October 2021 Retrieved 12 May 2019 a b c Hancock Farrah 14 May 2018 Who is the fossil mining company Newsroom Archived from the original on 13 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 Hartley Simon 15 May 2019 Diatomite company s ownership uncertain Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 a b Hartley Simon 28 May 2018 Potential to create 100 jobs Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 Ritchie Neil August 2018 Mining Black Pearl Quarrying amp Mining Magazine Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 a b c d e Hancock Farah 10 May 2019 Dunedin s Pompeii to be mined to make pig food Newsroom Archived from the original on 31 December 2019 Retrieved 10 May 2019 Sage holds key to sale of Otago fossil land to diatomite miner Stuff 16 May 2019 Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 Miller Tim 17 May 2019 Bid to PGF to fund controversial mine Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 16 May 2019 Retrieved 16 May 2019 Davison Richard 18 May 2019 Mayor tells of initial talks support letter Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 PLAMAN Global Product PLAMAN Global Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 19 May 2019 Fossil dirt nutrition claims under doubt Newsroom 17 May 2019 Archived from the original on 18 October 2021 Retrieved 16 May 2019 Mining company We have good motives here RNZ 21 May 2019 Archived from the original on 5 June 2019 Retrieved 5 June 2019 Scientists reject fossil land swap Newsroom 5 June 2019 Archived from the original on 9 February 2020 Retrieved 5 June 2019 Company seeking to mine Foulden Maar placed into receivership Radio New Zealand 19 June 2019 Archived from the original on 19 June 2019 Retrieved 19 June 2019 OIO puts Plaman application on hold www voxy co nz Archived from the original on 25 June 2019 Retrieved 25 June 2019 Miller Tim 21 June 2019 Group considering crowdfunding to secure Foulden Maar Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 20 June 2019 Retrieved 20 June 2019 Discharge to air permit data orc govt nz 26 June 2000 Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 Hartley Simon 13 November 2015 Otago fertiliser to bolster oil palm plantations Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 a b Morris Chris 9 May 2019 Mine threat to fossil record Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 11 May 2019 Retrieved 11 May 2019 Miller Tim 15 May 2019 Foulden Maar petition attracts support Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 Save Foulden Maar ActionStation Archived from the original on 26 June 2019 Retrieved 16 June 2019 Hartley Simon 13 May 2019 Helen Clark joins opposition to Middlemarch mine proposal Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 Clark Helen 11 May 2019 A low value but very destructive proposed mining operation in Otago NZ threatens a geologically significant site rich in fossils amp of considerable scientific interest Wondering has it been considered for scientific reserve status under Reserves Act https www newsroom co nz 2019 05 10 577063 dunedins pompeii to be mined for pig food HelenClarkNZ Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 Opposition grows to fossil mining Newsroom 13 May 2019 Archived from the original on 9 February 2020 Retrieved 12 May 2019 a b c Miller Tim 14 May 2019 Public lacks facts about mine MP Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 18 October 2021 Retrieved 14 May 2019 a b Miller Tim 15 May 2019 Mayor wants clarification on diatomite mine proposal Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 McPhee Elena 18 May 2019 Cr in bid to support Foulden Maar preservation Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 McPhee Elena 30 May 2019 DCC supports preservation of Foulden Maar Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 9 June 2019 Retrieved 5 June 2019 Rawlence Nic 14 June 2019 Proposal to mine fossil rich site in New Zealand sparks campaign to protect it The Conversation Archived from the original on 15 June 2019 Retrieved 16 June 2019 McNeilly Hamish 28 May 2019 Battle to save essential Foulden Maar heats up Stuff Retrieved 13 August 2022 Miller Tim 6 June 2019 Jaw dropping inducements over Foulden Marr Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 5 June 2019 Retrieved 5 June 2019 Gibb John 22 June 2019 Plea to Govt to protect Foulden Maar Otago Daily Times Online News Archived from the original on 22 June 2019 Retrieved 24 June 2019 Foulden Maar www pmcsa ac nz Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 Miller Tim 16 May 2019 Diatomite promoter hits back Otago Daily Times Archived from the original on 17 May 2019 Retrieved 17 May 2019 Taunton Esther 4 November 2019 Dunedin council steps in to protect Foulden Maar Stuff Retrieved 9 September 2022 Foulden Maar s future still unclear as council refuses to discuss matter RNZ 3 January 2022 Retrieved 11 September 2022 Foulden Maar Dunedin City Council saves fossil site from mining by buying land RNZ 2 February 2023 Retrieved 2 February 2023 Miller Grant 3 February 2023 Foulden Maar purchase prevents mining encourages scientists Otago Daily Times Online News Retrieved 2 February 2023 Further reading editLee Daphne Conran John Kaulfuss Uwe 2022 Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar A window into Miocene Zealandia 1st ed Dunedin Otago University Press ISBN 978 1 99 004835 7 OL 38152412M Wikidata Q114442587 External links edit nbsp Media related to Foulden Maar at Wikimedia Commons Prime TV series Beneath NZ episode 2 aired 16 June 2019 00 28 00 00 36 00 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Foulden Maar amp oldid 1219446759, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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