Three Kings Ridge | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Oligocene-Miocene | |
Type | Igneous |
Lithology | |
Primary | Basalt, mantle peridotite, trachybasalt through to rarer andesite |
Location | |
Coordinates | 31°03′S 172°51′E / 31.05°S 172.85°E |
Region | South Pacific |
Country | New Zealand |
Type section | |
Named for | Three Kings Islands |
The Three Kings Ridge, sometimes known as Three Kings Rise and more rarely at its southern end as the Three Kings Bank is a deep sea westward facing volcanic arc of Zealandia continental crust extending from 55 kilometres (34 mi) northwest of Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua, New Zealand on a line bisecting New Caledonia and Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. Its southern portion contains the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands which have biological significance as they are host to unique species and important marine ecosystems.[1]