Abstract
Kuk Swamp lies at around 1580 m altitude in the upper Wahgi Valley, a large intermontane basin between the Sepik-Wahgi Divide to the north and the Kubor Range to the south, both of which rise to 4000 m or more above sea level. Today the basin is largely drained by the east-flowing Wahgi River, but formerly the western part drained westwards. This drainage was reversed with the damming of the valley by a massive volcanic debris avalanche from the Mt Hagen stratovolcano, which today dominates the western end of the basin, rising about 2000 m above the surrounding landscape (Löffler 1977: 26–27, 73; Pain et al. 1987). The avalanche responsible for this blockage occurred at least 80–100,000 and possibly 400,000 years ago (Pain et al. 1987: 275).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Ten Thousand Years of Cultivation at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (Terra Australis 46) |
| Editors | J. Golson, T. Denham, P. Hughes, P. Swadling and J. Muke |
| Place of Publication | Canberra |
| Publisher | ANU Press |
| Pages | 87-116 |
| Edition | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781760461157 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |