Lyla Lindsey
Basalt is an aphanitic, fine-grained extrusive igneous rock that forms from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron. It is the most typical rock found in large igneous provinces. In Australia, basalt can be found in the Sydney Basin in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and the Perth Basin in Western Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Australian States/Territories where Basalt is found | Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia |
| Specific Locations in Australia | Sydney Basin, Skillion Hill, Clarence City, Bridgewater, Perth Basin, Bunbury Trough, Yilgarn Craton, Vasse Shelf |
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What You'll Learn
Rosette Rock, Australia
Basalt is found in several places in Australia, including Skillion Hill in Clarence City, Tasmania, and the onshore southwestern region of the country. The onshore southern Perth Basin in Western Australia contains the only evidence of volcanism in the region. The Bunbury Basalt, a series of lava flows in the Perth Basin, is an ideal stratigraphic marker due to its conspicuousness and narrow age range of extrusion.
One notable example of basalt found in Australia is the Rosette Rock in Victoria. This unique geological formation is part of the Organ Pipes, Rosette Rock, and Tessellated Pavement Circuit, a loop trail that showcases the native woodland and volcanic plains of the area. Rosette Rock is a large outcrop of basalt with a radial array of columns, resembling the spokes of a giant wheel or a rose-like shape, hence its name. Scientists believe that it was formed when a lava flow filled an ancient cave, but the exact process is still a mystery.
The Organ Pipes, Rosette Rock, and Tessellated Pavement Circuit offers a range of trails, from relatively easy to challenging. The loop track can be hard to follow, and construction work in the area may obstruct the path. The trail includes some steep climbs, but it also offers flat walks and plenty of shady spots to rest. Visitors can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and native ecosystem of the Organ Pipes National Park, maintained by the Friends of the Organ Pipes Group.
The Rosette Rock is a fascinating example of Australia's geological diversity and provides insight into the planet's geological processes and history. Visitors can use a smartphone or GPS device to navigate to the coordinates provided on Geocaching.com to explore and learn more about this unique outcrop of basalt columns.
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Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a large geological feature in eastern Australia, extending from Wollongong to Newcastle and Lithgow. The basin was formed by crustal rifting in the Early Permian, with the best-preserved Permian sequences occurring in the Hunter Valley. The total maximum thickness of the basin is approximately 5000 metres, though a complete sequence has not been found in any single locality.
During the Permian, the basin consisted of dominantly marine sediments, which changed to mainly non-marine coal measures towards the end of the period. The end of the Permian saw a shift to dominantly alluvial fan/fluvial environments. The basin was uplifted during the Triassic, becoming dry land, and has been subject to erosion since. Significant thicknesses of sediment (up to 80 metres) have accumulated in coastal depressions such as Botany Bay and Lake Macquarie. The Cumberland Plain, formed about 80 million years ago, was likely associated with the opening of the Tasman Rift off eastern Australia, disrupting old stream patterns and largely resulting in the geography of the region today.
The Sydney Basin includes the Blue Mountains Basalts, which are igneous rocks formed from a viscous fluid flow of lava, not a vertical inner core of magma as with an eroded volcano. These basalts are up to 140 metres thick and were formed in the middle Miocene, around 17 to 14 million years ago. The remnants of this volcanic lava flow are found at higher altitudes in the western Blue Mountains, including Mount Hay, Mount Wilson, Mount Irvine, Mount Banks, and Mount Tomah. The basalt caps create red/brown soils, known as red podzolics or krasnozems, which have a higher iron-oxide concentration than podzols, resulting in their reddish colour. These soils have higher moisture retention and fertility than the more common sandstone-based soils in the Blue Mountains.
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Queensland
Basalt, Queensland, has its own postcode, 4820, and experiences a variety of weather conditions, from heavy showers and thunderstorms to cloudy and humid days.
In terms of basalt rock, the onshore southwestern region of Australia, including the Perth Basin, is known for its basalt distribution. The Bunbury Basalt, a series of lava flows in the Perth Basin, is a notable feature in Western Australia. However, it is not specifically mentioned if this basalt distribution extends to Queensland.
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Perth Basin
The Perth Basin is a large (172,300 km2), structurally complex basin that formed during the separation of Australia and Greater India in the Permian to Early Cretaceous. It extends about 1300 km along the southwestern margin of the Australian continent, with a significant onshore component and an offshore extension to the edge of the continental crust in water depths of up to 4500 m. The basin is dominated by listric, extensional faulting that formed during sedimentation and controlled the distribution of the sediments. The primary mechanism for sedimentation was originally subsidence, creating space for sediments to accumulate, followed by fault extension and, more recently, sediment loading. The eastern boundary of the main Perth Basin is the Darling Fault, with small outliers of the Perth Basin, such as the Collie Sub-basin, lying to the east of this fault.
The Perth Basin contains Permian and Jurassic coal measures, with the most important being mined primarily for electricity generation in the Collie Sub-basin in the south-west of the basin. The Collie Sub-basin is also an important supplier of reservoir water for the city of Perth and elsewhere. The basin is prospective for natural gas and oil, with exploration wells confirming large resources of natural gas, although difficult reservoir geology has prevented the full utilisation of these energy reserves.
The stratigraphy and petroleum system elements of the Perth Basin vary significantly from north to south and are the product of oblique rifting during the Permian, Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, and Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Initial rifting established a series of Permian to Early Triassic depocentres for fluvial and marine siliciclastics with minor carbonates and coals in the north, while in the south, fluvial siliciclastics and coals dominated. A second phase of rifting in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic was associated with widespread fluvial and deltaic deposits, including the Cattamarra Coal Measures, overlain by Middle Jurassic marine shales (Cadda Formation) in the north Perth Basin. These Early to Middle Jurassic strata form a second proven petroleum system in the north of the basin. The final rift and breakup phase in the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous was associated with the deposition of fluvial and marine siliciclastics (Yarragadee Formation, Parmelia Group, and Warnbro Group), which form the main petroleum system in the Vlaming Sub-basin.
The Perth Basin also contains Cenozoic sand dune systems that are being mined for mineral sands, mainly rutile (a source of titanium) and zircon. The Yarragadee Formation, one of the thickest formations in the basin, is a very good aquifer in the southern part of the basin.
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Tasmania
The Collingwood area experienced a high grade of metamorphism, with eclogite and garnet amphibolite believed to be the remains of basalt. In the Fossey Mountains Trough, conglomerate and sandstone are exposed, with basalt altered to chlorite and hematite. The Roland Conglomerate and Moina Sandstone represent a contrasting stratigraphic architecture to that observed in western Tasmania.
The Dial Range and Fossey Mountain Troughs also feature basalt, up to 1 km thick. The Motton Spilite lies on top of the chert and consists of pillow lava, massive lava flows, and volcanic fragments. The Port Sorell Formation, west of the Badger Head Inlier, is a tectonic mélange of marine sediments and dolerite.
Finally, at St Marys, there were two volcanic eruptions of alkali-olivine basalt around 233 ± 5 million years ago.
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Frequently asked questions
Basalt is found in many places in Australia, including Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
The Australian Museum in Brisbane has a collection of basaltic volcanic rocks from Queensland.
Basalt can be found in the Boral Quarry in Bridgewater, in the Brighton municipality of Tasmania. It is also found in Skillion Hill, Clarence City, Tasmania.
Basalt is found in the Perth Basin in Western Australia.
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