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The remnants of a coastal peat swamp near St Andrews, South Canterbury, New Zealand. Probably originally a bush-edged lagoon some distance from the shore, it gradually filled in with reeds that decayed into peat. This naturally anaerobic environment preserves the organic matter, which was further protected with a layer of windblown loess clay. This then formed the bed of streams that brought layers of gravel from the mountains, which then mixed and then became tightly bound with more clay until the peat was eventually covered to a depth of around 4 metres. Then, as the seas advanced and eroded the shore, the peat, seen here in the foreground, and old tree trunks became exposed. The layers of deposition also became clearly visible.
