West Polynesia (49,293 – 28,578 BCE): Upper…

West Polynesia (49,293 – 28,578 BCE): Upper Paleolithic I — Volcanic High Islands, Atoll Seeds, and Reef-Edge Biota

Geographic & Environmental Context

West Polynesia includes Hawaiʻi Island (the Big Island); Tonga (Tongatapu, Haʻapai, Vavaʻu); Samoa (Savaiʻi, Upolu, Tutuila/Manuʻa); Tuvalu and Tokelau (low atolls); the Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia, etc.); Society Islands (Raiatea–Tahiti–Moʻorea–Bora Bora); and the Marquesas (Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa).

• Hawaiʻi Island still in an active shield-building phase (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea); Societies, Marquesas, Cooks are high volcanic islands; Tuvalu–Tokelau are emergent low reef structures and paleo-atolls; Tonga–Samoa high islands/raised limestones.

Climate & Environmental Shifts

• Glacial world: sea level ~100 m lower; wide reef flats and drowned shelves exposed terraces and benches. Trades strong; cooler SSTs.

Biota & Baseline (No Human Presence)

• Seabird supercolonies, turtle rookeries, monk seals (in NW line) on outer cays; uplands carry cloud/montane forests, leeward slopes dry woodland.

• Reef accretion proceeds episodically; lagoons are shallower and more extensive than today.

Long-Term Significance

A geomorphic blueprint forms: high islands with fertile amphitheaters and burgeoning barrier reefs—future foundations for intensive ridge-to-reef food systems.