Purchas Hill was a twin-cratered scoria cone around 50 metres high, located north of Maungarei / Mount Wellington, before it was predominantly quarried away. The scoria cone sat in the middle of its large explosion crater with a surrounding tuff ring. It erupted about 10,000 years ago, shortly before the eruption of its larger neighbour, Mount Wellington.[1]
History
[edit]A map of the Auckland volcanic field by Hochstetter from 1859, showcasing Purchas Hill amongst other volcanoes.
City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland - Searle, Ernest J.; revised by Mayhill, R.D.; Longman Paul, 1981. First published 1964. ISBN0-582-71784-1.
Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential Guide. Hayward, B.W., Murdoch, G., Maitland, G.; Auckland University Press, 2011.
Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. ISBN0-582-71784-1.
^ abI. Lawlor (2009). Endnotes, An assessment of heritage resources located within the proposed Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve Visitor Centre development ‘footprint’, and measures to avoid, remedy and mitigate effects, Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve Heritage Assessment Report.
