Late Eocene-early Oligocene (42-35 Myr) sediments cored at two DSDP sites in the south-west Pacific contain evidence of a pronounced increase in local volcanic activity, particularly in close association with the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. This pulse of volcanism is coeval with that in New Zealand and resulted from the development of an Indo- Australian / Pacific Plate boundary through the region during the late Eocene. The late Eocene / earliest Oligocene was marked by widespread volcanism and tectonism throughout the Pacific and elsewhere, and by one of the most important episodes of Cenozoic climatic cooling. ?? 1985 Nature Publishing Group.