Authors / CoAuthors
Cawood, P.A. | Korsch, R.J.
Abstract
The western two-thirds of Australia is underlain by Precambrian rocks that are divisible into three Archean to Paleoproterozoic cratons, the West Australian, North Australian and South Australian cratons, separated by Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic orogens. The temporal and spatial record of Proterozoic rock units and orogenic events documents accretion and assembly of Precambrian, proto-Australia. The Archean Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons were assembled into the West Australian Craton along the Capricorn Orogen during the late Paleoproterozoic (2000 Ma) Glenburgh Orogeny, which then combined with the North Australian Craton along the Rudall Orogen during the 1800-1765 Ma, Yapungku Orogeny. Prior to about 1500 Ma the North and South Australian cratons show a similar geological history and are herein assumed to have evolved as a single entity, termed the North-South Australian Craton. It was bounded throughout most of the late Paleoproterozoic to earliest Mesoproterozoic by subduction zones along its south western and north eastern margins such that much of the craton occupied an upper plate, back arc basin environment. After ~1500 Ma the craton differentiated into the North Australian and South Australian cratons through rotation and lateral translation of the latter, resulting in convergence and collisional suturing with the West Australian craton along the 1345-1140 Ma Albany-Fraser Orogen. The Pinjarra Orogen developed along the margin of the West Australian Craton and records late Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic strike-slip juxtaposition of India within an assembling Gondwana. The Neoproterozoic record of the Terra Australis Orogen, which extends along the eastern side of Precambrian Australia, records rifting and continental breakup within the supercontinent of Rodinia. Australian Proterozoic rocks host significant mineral resources, including world class banded iron-formations in the West Australian craton (Hamersley), and iron oxide copper gold deposits (Olympic Dam), Pb-Zn-Ag systems (Mount Isa and Broken Hill) and uranium deposits in the North-South Australian Craton.
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nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
65827
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Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
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2601
Australia
Keywords
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- External Publication
- ( Theme )
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- geodynamics
- ( Theme )
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- architecture
- ( Theme )
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- sedimentary basins
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
Publication Date
2008-04-28T00:00:00
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