Reply to “Comments on “Epiclastic deposits and “horseshoe-shaped” calderas in Tahiti (Society Islands) and Ua Huka (Marquesas archipelago), French Polynesia”, by Gillot et al. (2004)

Gillot at al. (2004) question the conclusions of Clément et al. (2002) about the occurrence of a recent debris avalanche event in Tahiti Nui volcano, together with their interpretation of the central depression of the island as the scar of a huge landslide. We show in this reply that this latter process is the only one capable of forming such a “horseshoe-shaped” depression. In addition, the brecciated deposits which cover the flat floor of this structure cannot be generated through another mechanism, such as fluviatile erosion.