earth science

Katiki Formation

Katiki Formation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Katiki Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Katiki Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian, or Haumurian in the regional stratigraphy) geologic formation of the South Island of New Zealand. Plesiosaur remains of Kaiwhekea katiki, named after the formation, are among the fossils that have been recovered from the deltaic siltstones.

Key takeaways

Katiki Formation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Katiki Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Katiki Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Katiki Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian, or Haumurian in the regional stratigraphy) geologic formation of the South Island of New Zealand. Plesiosaur remains of Kaiwhekea katiki, named after the formation, are among the fossils that have been recovered from the deltaic siltstones.

Description The Katiki Formation was defined by McKay in 1887 and comprises about 100 metres (330 ft) of gently north to northeast dipping and generally massive, dark grey, indurated, sandy siltstones. The Katiki Formation overlies more proximal marine sandstones of the Herbert Formation and, below that, non-marine quartzose sandy to pebbly coal measures of the Shag Point Group.

Fossil content Belemnites Dimitobelus (Dimitocamax) hectori Reptiles Mosasauridae indet. Elasmosauridae Kaiwhekea katiki Dinophyceae Gonyaulacaceae Cribroperidinium edwardsii Peridiniaceae Chatangiella campbellensis Palaeocystodinium granulatum

See also Plesiosaur stratigraphic distribution South Polar region of the Cretaceous Conway Formation Tahora Formation

References

Bibliography Cruickshank, A.R.I.; Fordyce, R.E. (2002), "A new marine reptile (Sauropterygia) from New Zealand: further evidence for a Late Cretaceous Austral radiation of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs", Palaeontology, 45 (3): 557–575, Bibcode:2002Palgy..45..557C, doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00249

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Katiki Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Katiki Formation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Katiki Formation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Katiki Formation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Katiki Formation

In research: Katiki Formation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Katiki Formation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Katiki Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Campanian Stage, Cretaceous System of Oceania, Deltaic deposits, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Katiki Formation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Katiki Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Katiki Formation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Katiki Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Katiki Formation in simple terms?

Why does Katiki Formation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Katiki Formation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Katiki Formation.