Big Lagoon (New Zealand)
| Big Lagoon | |
|---|---|
  Big Lagoon | |
| Location | Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°32′42″S 174°06′04″E / 41.545°S 174.101°E |
| Type | Lagoon |
| Primary outflows | Pacific Ocean |
| Surface area | 800 hectares (8.0 km2) |
Big Lagoon, sometimes known as Te Whanganui (both unofficial) is a lagoon beside Cloudy Bay in Marlborough, New Zealand. It outflows into the Pacific Ocean.[1] It is approximately 800 hectares and is part of the Wairau Lagoon, which is connected to Upper Lagoon and Chandlers Lagoon.[2]
There used to be a canal known as Ōrua or previously Morgan Creek which went from Ōpawa River to Big Lagoon.[3] Big Lagoon was previously a wildlife refuge, but this has been lifted and people are now permitted to hunt over the lagoon.[4]
Big Lagoon has beds of Ruppia, Chara and Nitella.[2]
Big Lagoon is in the plate boundary between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate. This means that Big Lagoon occasionally experiences strong earthquakes, which may cause liquefaction.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Place name detail: 16551". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Wairau Lagoon Subtidal Survey 2021" (PDF). marlborough.govt.nz. June 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ McKinnon, Malcolm (1 November 2016). "Lagoons and waterways, lower Wairau River". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Wairau Lagoons bird hunting". www.doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Hayward, Bruce W.; Clark, Kate J.; Sabaa, Ashwaq T.; Cochran, Ursula (October 2015). "TAPHONOMICALLY- AND INFAUNALLY-ADJUSTED SALT MARSH FORAMINIFERAL RECORD OF LATE HOLOCENE EARTHQUAKE DISPLACEMENTS AND A TSUNAMI SAND, NEW ZEALAND". The Journal of Foraminiferal Research. 45 (4): 354–368. doi:10.2113/gsjfr.45.4.354. ISSN 0096-1191.