Hikurangi Plateau

Hikurangi Plateau
Stratigraphic range: Cretaceous 126–84 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Igneous
Area	400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi), but was 800,000 km2 (310,000 sq mi) before more recent subduction[1]
Lithology
Primary	Basalt
Location
Coordinates	40°S 179°E / 40°S 179°E / -40; 179
Region	South Pacific Ocean
Country	New Zealand
Type section
Named for	Mount Hikurangi, in Māori mythology the first part of the North Island to emerge from the ocean
One of the major divisions of Zealandia, the Hikurangi Plateau (top right) drifted south and collided with parts of the mostly submerged continent.

The Hikurangi Plateau is an oceanic plateau in the South Pacific Ocean east of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of a large igneous province (LIP) together with Manihiki and Ontong Java, now located 3,000 km (1,900 mi) and 3,500 km (2,200 mi) north of Hikurangi respectively.^[2] Mount Hikurangi, in Māori mythology the first part of the North Island to emerge from the ocean, gave its name to the plateau.