The present-day stress field of New South Wales,Australia

The Australian continent displays the most complex pattern of present-day tectonic stress observed in any major continental area. Although plate boundary forces provide a well-established control on the large-scale (>500 km) orientation of maximum horizontal stress (S_Hmax), smaller-scale variations, caused by local forces, are poorly understood in Australia. Prior to this study, the World Stress Map database contained 101 S_Hmax orientation measurements for New South Wales (NSW), Australia, with the bulk of the data coming from shallow engineering tests in the Sydney Basin. In this study we interpret present-day stress indicators analysed from 58.6 km of borehole image logs in 135 coal-seam gas and petroleum wells in different sedimentary basins of NSW, including the Gunnedah, Clarence-Moreton, Sydney, Gloucester, Darling and Bowen–Surat basins. This study provides a refined stress map of NSW, with a total of 340 (A–E quality) S_Hmax orientations consisting of 186 stress indicators from borehole breakouts, 69 stress measurements from shallow engineering methods, 48 stress indicators from drilling-induced fractures, and 37 stress indicators from earthquake focal mechanism solutions. We define seven stress provinces throughout NSW and determine the mean orientation of the S_Hmax for each stress province. The results show that the S_Hmax is variable across the state, but broadly ranges from NE–SW to ESE–WNW. The S_Hmax is approximately E–W to ESE–WNW in the Darling Basin and Southeastern Seismogenic Zone that covers the west and south of NSW, respectively. However, the present-day S_Hmax rotates across the northeastern part of NSW, from approximately NE–SW in the South Sydney and Gloucester basins to ENE–WSW in the North Sydney, Clarence-Moreton and Gunnedah basins. Comparisons between the observed S_Hmax orientations and Australian stress models in the available literature reveal that previous numerical models were unable to satisfactorily predict the state of stress in NSW. Although clear regional present-day stress trends exist in NSW, there are also large perturbations observed locally within most stress provinces that demonstrate the significant control on local intraplate sources of stress. Local S_Hmax perturbations are interpreted to be due to basement topography, basin geometry, lithological contrasts, igneous intrusions, faults and fractures. Understanding and predicting local stress perturbations has major implications for determining the most productive fractures in petroleum systems, and for modelling the propagation direction and vertical height growth of induced hydraulic fractures in simulation of unconventional reservoirs.     

Ordovician Intrusive-related Gold-Copper Mineralization in West-Central New South Wales, Australia

Three major types of Ordovician intrusive-related gold-copper deposits are recognized in central-west New South Wales, Australia: porphyry, skarn and high sulphidation epithermal deposits. These deposits are mainly distributed within two Ordovician volcano-intrusive belts of the Lachlan Fold Belt: the Orange-Wellington Belt and the Parkes-Narromine Belt. Available isotopic age data suggest that mineralization of the three types of deposits is essentially coeval with the Ordovician intrusive rocks (480-430 Ma).Porphyry gold-copper deposits can be further divided into two groups. The first group is associated with monzonite showing shoshonitic features, represented by Cadia and Goonumbla. The second group is associated with diorite and dacite, including the Copper Hill and Cargo gold-copper deposits. Gold skarn is associated with Late Ordovician (430-439 Ma) monzonitic intrusive complexes in the Junction Reefs area (Sheahan-Grants, Frenchmans, and Cor-nishmens), Endeavour 6, 7 and 44, Big and Little Cadia     

The Prospect Alkaline Diabase-Picrite Intrusion New South Wales, Australia

The Prospect intrusion is a dish-shaped alkaline diabase-picritemass 315–400 ft thick intruded into shale at a depth ofabout 600 ft. Picrite, containing more than 25 per cent olivine,occupies the lower half of the intrusion. In the upper half,alkaline diabase, averaging less than 5 per cent olivine, isconcentrated under structural highs of the contact, and alkalineolivine diabase, containing 10 to 25 per cent olivine, is concentratedunder structural lows. These rocks are separated from the shaleby a fine-grained chilled margin. Vertical sections through the picrite zone show a regular antipatheticvariation of modal olivine and plagioclase with a zone of maximumolivine concentration near the bottom; bulk rock compositionsshow an antipathetic relation between MgO plus total iron andall other constituents. Modal and bulk composition variationsare more erratic in the upper half of the intrusion, but analcite,alkali feldspar, and opaque minerals reach maximum concentrationsin this part of the intrusion. The pyroxene content remainsnearly constant in the major rock types. Trends of olivine andplagioclase composition and grain size vary regularly with heightin the intrusion and cross boundaries between major rock typeswithout deflexion. Olivine becomes progressively more fayaliticfrom the base of the picrite zone to the upper chilled margin,but the plagioclase curve has a trend toward more calcic compositionsin the picrite zone. Mean sizes of plagioclase, pyroxene, andolivine increase upwards between the chilled margins. The lower chilled margin is slightly less mafic than the bulkcomposition of the intrusion and may represent a pre-emplacementdifferentiate, but the major part of the differentiation occurredduring emplacement at the present site. Grain size and otherdata indicate that crystallization took place more rapidly fromthe base than from the top of the intrusion, and a variety ofinternal structures indicate that crystallization and differentiationtook place as the magma was intruded over a considerable periodof time. As consolidation of the intrusion proceeded, the liquid becameenriched in all constituents except magnesium and ferrous ironuntil consolidation of alkaline diabase began (when about 70per cent of the whole intrusion had solidified); at that stagethe proportion of calcium, titanium, and ferric iron in theliquid was reduced and the proportion of silica, alumina, andalkalis increased. Processes of differentiation that contributed most to the originof the main rock types are: diffusion, independently of crystallization,of volatiles, alkalis, and possibly calcium into the structurallyhigh parts of the intrusion; gravity accumulation of olivinethat crystallized a short distance above the main front of consolidationas it moved upwards from the base of the intrusion; and upwarddiffusion of salic constituents and downward diffusion of maficones over concentration gradients produced by crystallization. Removal of volatiles from the lower part of the intrusion beforecrystallization reduced the oxidation ratio in the liquid andresulted in a low proportion of ferric iron minerals; crystallizationof abundant olivine (average composition about Fo₇₀), however,prevented enrichment of the liquid in iron. Addition of volatilesto the upper part of the intrusion retarded crystallizationand raised the oxidation ratio to a level at which a relativelyhigh proportion of ferric iron minerals crystallized. Subordinate processes that contributed to the formation of themain rock types as well as to less abundant ones include gravityaccumulation of heavy minerals that were dispersed in the magmaat the time of emplacement, filter pressing caused by localbuttressing around irregularities of the contact, crystal sortingby viscous flow, and gas transfer. Pegmatitic differentiates are ascribed to a complex diffusionprocess along pressure and concentration gradients caused byshear on laminar flow planes. Syenite may have originated byreplacement of pegmatite, but aplites occupy true dilationaistructures and apparently represent liquid remaining after crystallizationof the adjacent rock.     

Differentiation trends in the Warrumbungle Volcano,New South Wales,Australia

The volcanic rocks of the Warrumbungle Shield volcano in central western New South Wales, Australia show two distinct differentiation trends. One trend of differentiation extends from alkali basalts to phonolitic trachytes becoming increasingly undersaturated with silica and a second differentiation trend extends from trachybasalts to quartzbearing trachyte that becomes progressively more oversaturated. The differentiation trends are the product of low pressure fractional crystallisation of an alkali basalt in a high level magma chamber.Differentiated rocks of the Nandewar Volcano in New South Wales differs from that of the Warrumbungle Volcano in several significant respects. In the Nandewar Volcano, for example, the parental magma is an olivine basalt, the differentiation trend is towards silica rich trachytes and very siliceous alkali rhyolites.The differentiated alkaline rocks from the large shield volcanoes of the Pacific display many affinities to the differentiated alkaline rocks from the shield volcanoes of the Australian continent. On Tahiti a moderately undersaturated alkaline magma has produced contrasting differentiates, silica saturated trachytes; and phonolites. In Hawaii the alkaline volcanic rocks have differentiated to produce oversaturated trachytes. By contrast, in the Galápagos Islands where the parental magma is a tholeiitic basalt the differentiation trend is towards very siliceous trachytes and quartz syentites.The divergent trends of differentiation in the Warrumbungle Shield can be traced via the intermediate lineage members to compositional differences between the basic lineage members. The temperature, pressure and fugacity of oxygen and water have controlled the path and extent of differentiation in high level magma chambers at 8–9 kb or less. Differing degrees of saturation of the basic lineage members are attributed to differing degrees of pyroxene or eclogite fractionation at high pressures. Progressively more undersaturated rocks have been derived at increasing depths or origin.

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Zusammenfassung Die Vulkangesteine des Warrumbungle-Vulkans im mittelwestlichen Neusüdwales, Australien, zeigen zwei verschiedene Differentiationstendenzen. Die eine erstreckt sich von alkalischen Basalten bis zu phonolitischen Trachyten, die immer stärker kieselsäure-untersättigt werden. Die andere erstreckt sich von Trachytbasalten bis quarzhaltigem Trachyt, der immer stärker übersättigt wird. Die Differentiationstendenzen ergeben sich aus der fraktionierten Kristallisation bei niederem Druck von einem alkalischen Basalt in einer nahe der Oberfläche liegenden Magmakammer.Differenziertes Gestein des Nandewar-Vulkans in Neusüdwales unterscheidet sich in einigen wesentlichen Punkten von dem des Warrumbungle-Vulkans. In dem Nandewar-Vulkan ist z. B. das Stammagma ein olivinhaltiger Basalt. Dazu tendiert es zu siliziumhaltigen Trachyten und sehr siliziumhaltigen alkalischen Rhyoliten.Das differenzierte alkalische Gestein von den großen Vulkanen des Pazifiks zeigt viele Ähnlichkeiten mit dem differenzierten alkalischen Gestein von den Vulkanen auf dem australischen Festland. Auf Tahiti hat ein mäßig untersättigtes alkalisches Magma kontrastierende Varianten, Phonolite und siliziumgesättigte Trachyte hervorgebracht. Auf Hawaii hat sich das alkalische Vulkangestein differenziert, wobei übersättigte Trachyte entstanden sind. Dagegen tendiert es auf den Galapagos-Inseln, wo das Stammagma ein tholeiitischer Basalt ist, zu sehr siliziumhaltigen Trachyten und Quarzsyeniten.Die divergierenden Differationstendenzen in dem Warrumbungle-Vulkan lassen sich durch die intermediären Stammglieder auf Zusammensetzungsunterschiede zwischen den früheren Stammgliedern zurückführen. Die Temperatur, der Druck und die Flüchtigkeit des Sauerstoffs und des Wassers haben den Vorgang und das Maß der Differentiation in nahe der Oberfläche begrabenen Magmakammern bei 8–9 kb. oder weniger kontrolliert. Verschiedene Sättigungsgrade der früheren Stammglieder werden verschiedenen Graden von Pyroxenoder Eklogit-Fraktionierung bei hohem Druck zugeschrieben. Zunehmend stärker untersättigtes Gestein ist bei wachsender Entstehungstiefe hervorgebracht worden.

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Résumé Les roches volcaniques du Volcan Warrumbungle, dans la partie centrale de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud (Australie), montrent deux tendances distinctes de différenciation. L'une de ces tendances s'étend des basaltes alcalins aux trachytes phonolitiques qui deviennent de plus en plus sous-saturés en silice. L'autre tendance de différenciation s'étend des trachy-basaltes aux trachytes quartzifères, qui deviencent de plus en plus sursaturés. Ces tendances de différenciation sont le résultat de la cristallisation fractionnée, sous faible pression, d'un basalte alcalin dans une chambre magmatique proche de la surface.Les roches différenciées du volcan Nandewar en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud différent sous plusieurs aspects importants de celles du volcan Warrumbungle. Dans le volcan Nandewar, par exemple, le magma originel est un basalte à olivine; la différenciation tend vers des trachytes contenant de la silice et des rhyolites alcalines très siliceuses.La roche alcaline différenciée des grands volcans du Pacifique montre beaucoup d'affinités avec celle des volcans du continent australien. A Tahiti un magma alcalin moyennement sous-saturé a produit des roches différenciées très diverses: des trachytes saturés en silice et des phonolites. A Hawaii les roches volcaniques alcalines se sont différenciées pour produire enfin des trachytes sursaturés. Par contre aux Iles Galapagos, où le magma originel est un basalte tholéiitique, la tendance de la différenciation va vers des trachytes très siliceux et des syénites quartzifères.Les tendances divergentes de la différenciation dans le Warrumbungle remontent par des termes intermédiaires à des différences de composition entre les premiers membres dérivés du magma originel.La température, la pression et la fugacité de l'oxygène et de l'eau ont réglé le processus et l'étendue de la différenciation dans les chambres magmatiques enfouies à proximité de la surface, sous une pression de 8–9 kb ou moins. C'est à différents degrés de saturation des premiers membres du magma originel que sont attribués les différents degrés de fractionnement du pyroxène ou de l'éclogite à haute pression. C'est toujours une roche de plus en plus sous-saturée qui est engendrée par augmentation de sa profondeur d'origine.

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Late Quaternary evolution of Lake Urana,New South Wales,Australia

Lake Urana is a well-preserved relict lake in the semi-arid Riverine Plain of southeastern Australia. A compound lunette at its eastern shoreline consists of a quartz-sand-dominated unit (Bimbadeen Formation), thermoluminescence (TL) dated at 30 ka to 12 ka, and a clay and sand facies unit (Coonong Formation), dated at 55 ka to 35 ka. The intervening period indicates a phase of periodically exposed lake floor and soil formation. The older wet phase conforms well with similar environments recorded from the same period at Lake Mungo. However, the return to high water levels from 30 ka to 12 ka departs sharply from the generally accepted palaeoclimatic model from Australia, which demands severe glacial maximum desiccation and widespread construction of clay lunettes. Although hydrological budgets calculated for Lake Urana and nearby Lake Cullivel require high glacial maximum water levels they do not support higher precipitation.     

Notes on framboidal pyrite from Allandale New South Wales,Australia

Pyrite masses composed of compacted pyrite framboids in chalcedony in weathered andesites at Allandale, New South Wales, Australia, show evidence of colloidal origin and contemporaneous deposition of pyrite and silica. Free framboids and framboidal clusters in the chalcedony show indications of crystallization into pyrite polyhedra and pyrite octahedra.     

Granite-hosted gold mineralization at Timbarra, northern New South Wales, Australia

The Timbarra gold deposits, located in the southern New England Fold Belt of New South Wales, Australia, represent an economically significant and distinctive member of the intrusion-related class of gold deposits. The five known deposits possess a total identified mineral resource of 16.8 Mt at 0.73 g/t gold, for a total of 396,800 contained ounces. The granites in the Timbarra region form a texturally complex, zoned pluton. The gold deposits are found within the Stanthorpe leucomonzogranite (242 to 238 Ma), which intrudes and forms a core to the more mafic, barren, Bungulla monzogranite (248 to 243 Ma). Gold is disseminated in the roof zone (upper 240 m) of a fractionated, magnetite- and ilmenite-bearing, I-type leucomonzogranite phase of the Stanthorpe body. The entire gold resource occurs in the areally extensive main leucomonzogranite pluton and is hosted by a medium- to coarse-grained granite. Disseminated ore is present in all five deposits, comprises >95% of the overall resource at Timbarra, and occurs predominantly as gently dipping, tabular to lenticular bodies that are conformably constrained beneath a fine-grained aplite carapace and internal aplite layers. The disseminated ore consists of gold-bearing muscovite-chlorite-carbonate alteration and infill of primary miarolitic cavities within massive leucomonzogranite or microgranite, and contains no discernable vein, joint, or fracture control at the outcrop or hand specimen scale. Structurally controlled mineralization forms the remaining 5% of the Timbarra resource, and comprises minor, low-density (0.02 to 0.25 per meter), vein-dikes and quartz-molybdenite veins emplaced along steeply dipping east-southeast, east-northeast, and north-northeast striking cooling joints. Both mineralization styles and alteration share a common paragenetic sequence of mineral precipitation. Quartz, perthitic K-feldspar, minor biotite, and albite are the earliest and most abundant infill minerals and commonly line primary cavities and vein-dikes. Subsequent minerals include coeval arsenopyrite, pyrite, fluorite, and molybdenite. The latest minerals include muscovite, chlorite, gold, calcite, silver-bismuth telluride, lead-bismuth telluride, and rare galena and chalcopyrite. The gold ore has a low total sulfide mineral concentration (Б%). Ore contains elevated concentrations of Bi, Ag, Te, As, Mo, and Sb; gold is strongly correlated with Bi, Ag, and Te, but only weakly with Mo, As, and Sb. Gold grains are generally <1 to 50 µm in size, but rarer grains as large as 1 mm in diameter have been observed. Gold fineness ranges from 950 to 600, and varies both within and between individual grains for a given deposit. The moderately oxidized I-type host granite, low-sulfide (Б%) ores, Au-Bi-Ag-Te geochemical signature, muscovite-chlorite-carbonate alteration assemblage, and low-salinity aqueous and carbonic fluids suggest that Timbarra is part of the newly recognized intrusion-related gold deposit class. Timbarra is distinguished from other intrusion-related gold deposits by the disseminated mineralization style within pervasively altered granite, forming gently dipping, tabular to lenticular ore zones.     

Scaling property of regional floods in New South Wales Australia

Regional flood frequency analysis (RFFA) is often used in hydrology to estimate flood quantiles when there is a limitation of at-site recorded flood data. One of the commonly used RFFA methods is the index flood method, which is based on the assumptions that a region satisfies criterion of simple scaling and it can be treated homogeneous. Another RFFA method is quantile regression technique where prediction equations are developed for flood quantiles of interest as function of catchment characteristics. In this paper, the scaling property of regional floods in New South Wales (NSW) State in Australia is investigated. The results indicate that the annual maximum floods in NSW satisfy a simple scaling assumption. The application of a heterogeneity test, however, reveals that NSW flood data set does not satisfy the criteria for a homogeneous region. Finally, a set of prediction equations are developed for NSW using quantile regression technique; an independent test shows that these equations can provide reasonably accurate design flood estimates with a median relative error of about 27%.     

Exploration rock geochemistry for gold, Parkes, New South Wales, Australia

The London-Victoria lode-type Au deposit near Parkes, New South Wales, was discovered in 1863 and became the subject of modern exploration in 1980 after about 75 years of little or no activity. The deposit lies within Palaeozoic tuffaceous, andesitic rocks. Soil geochemistry was the main technique used to define drill targets, and the deposit is now at an advanced state of assessment for probable development.Rock geochemistry is being investigated as an aid in drill-core interpretation in the search for extensions to the London-Victoria deposit and other similar deposits in the district.At an early stage of the rock-geochemical work it became clear that minor basemetal mineralization was also present in the structural hanging wall at between 30 and 70 m from the lode Au deposit. Interpretation of the geochemical signatures for major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe) and trace elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn) is confused by an overlap and merging of responses from the Au and base-metal mineralization. The measurement of bromine-soluble Sb, As, Bi, and Te, together with the more conventional major and trace elements, permits discrimination between geochemical halos related to the Au and those resulting from minor base metal mineralization.The results demonstrate the use of rock geochemistry for Au exploration, its usefulness in drawing attention to geological features, and the utility of bromine-soluble trace elements commonly associated with gold mineralization.     

Drainage sampling for uranium in the Torrington district, New South Wales, Australia

A brief orientation study has been conducted to evaluate the use of drainage geochemical sampling for U in the granitic and forested terrain of the Torrington district of northeastern New South Wales. Anomalous U levels are present in both stream sediments and waters draining a known W prospect containing accessory U. The U dispersion is affected by interrelated environmental factors such as catchment physiography and the organic content of the stream sediments. The influence of organic content on U level in stream sediments is most significant. Variation in sediment organic content is related to accumulation of vegetal organic debris and charcoal in stream channels by sheetwashing of sparsely covered forest floors particularly in catchments of high topographic relief. The U is apparently absorbed onto the organic material from ephemerally flowing stream waters. Temporal variations in U content of stream sediment are indicated which necessitate careful consideration in planning and interpreting the results of a survey in this environment.     

Is geomorphic zonation a useful predictor of patterns of benthic infauna in intermittent estuaries in New South Wales, Australia?

Geomorphic classifications of estuaries are used to guide management. One classification recognizes four geomorphic zones within estuaries: marine tidal delta, central mud basin, fluvial delta, and riverine channel. It is assumed that the biota is controlled primarily by salinity and characteristics of sediments. By ignoring small-scale variability, the number of species and diversity are predicted to be homogeneous within each zone, but to decrease with increasing distance from the sea. Data from surveys of macrobenthos and meiobenthos in four intermittently closed coastal lakes in New South Wales, Australia, were used to test these predictions. Assemblages of macrobenthos and meiobenthos in different localities within marine tidal deltas were different and also differed from those in fluvial deltas. Several families of polychaetes, in addition to nematodes and oligochaetes, distinguished between macrobenthic assemblages. Assemblages of meiobenthos were distinguished mainly by nematodes, turbellarians, and copepods. Numbers of macrobenthic species decreased by more than 50% between localities near the mouth and those further upstream, even though they were located within the same geomorphic zone, before increasing to a maximum in fluvial deltas. For meiobenthos, similar trends were evident, but differences were smaller. Half of the macrobenthic taxa and all but one among the meiobenthos exhibited the predicted decrease in density with increasing distance from the sea. There were no consistent correlations with physical factors (median grain size, percent clay, organic content, or salinity) at the level of assemblages or of individual taxa. Physical classifications fail to predict patterns in benthos, possibly because they do not incorporate linkages between physical and ecological processes at appropriate spatial and temporal scales.     

Environmental geochemistry of the derelict Webbs Consols mine,New South Wales,Australia

Small-scale mining and mineral processing at the Webbs Consols polymetallic PbZnAg deposit in northern New South Wales, Australia has caused a significant environmental impact on streams, soils and vegetation. Unconfined waste rock dumps and tailings dams are the source of the problems. The partly oxidised sulphidic mine wastes contain abundant sulphides (arsenopyrite, sphalerite, galena) and oxidation products (scorodite, anglesite, smectite, Fe-oxyhydroxides), and possess extreme As and Pb (wt% levels) and elevated Ag, Cd, Cu, Sb and Zn values. Contemporary sulphide oxidation, hardpan formation, crystallisation of mineral efflorescences and acid mine drainage generation occur within the waste repositories. Acid seepages (pH 1.9–6.0) from waste dumps, tailings dams and mine workings display extreme As, Pb and Zn and elevated Cd, Cu and Sb contents. Drainage from the area is by the strongly contaminated Webbs Consols Creek and although this stream joins and is diluted by the much larger Severn River, contamination of water and stream sediments in the latter is evident for 1–5 km, and 12 km respectively, downstream of the mine site. The pronounced contamination of local and regional soils and sediments, despite the relatively small scale of the former operation, is due to the high metal tenor of abandoned waste material and the scarcity of neutralising minerals. Any rehabilitation plan of the site should include the relocation of waste materials to higher ground and capping, with only partial neutralisation of the waste to pH 4–5 in order to limit potential dissolution of scorodite and mobilisation of As into seepages and stream waters.     

Sedimentology of the Middle Devonian Timor Limestone,northeastern New South Wales,Australia

The microfacies assemblages and their distribution within the Middle Devonian Timor Limestone, exposed in the Timor Valley of northeastern New South Wales, Australia are described, and a depositional model for the carbonate buildup presented.Two broad lithological divisions are clearly recognizable within this thick (345 m) but lensoidal mass. Lime wackestones/packstones dominate the lower 200–215 m of the buildup while lime grainstones characterize the upper 130 m. Using cluster-sorting techniques on 697 modally analysed limestone samples, five microfacies and several subgroups each characterized by a unique combination of allochems have been recognized within this gross subdivision.The microfacies data and field observations suggest that carbonate sedimentation was initiated in an open marine shelf environment. It began simply because local conditions were favourable for calcareous organisms to become established. The benthos flourished ultimately spreading out over an area of 25 km². Although reefal in outline, the limestone is a bedded deposit containing chiefly comminuted skeletal debris and never had the ecologic potential to form a wave-resistant mass.Lime mud sedimentation began in a sublittoral environment. Abundant calcareous algae throughout most of the lower two-thirds of the buildup suggest that deposition occurred within the photic zone. In succeeding horizons, pellet and intraclast lime grainstones gradually replace the lime mud dominated microfacies, indicating that carbonate deposition slowly outpaced basin subsidence and shoal-water conditions developed over the buildup. During the buildup's final stage, a transgression occurred resulting in quieter marine conditions and the deposition of coral lime wackestones in the former shoal area.Carbonate sedimentation was terminated by an extensive marine tuff killing the calcareous benthos. No further extensive carbonate sedimentation during the Middle Devonian is recorded in the Timor Valley.     

Neptunite from the Woodsreef Serpentinite,New South Wales: A new occurrence

Summary Neptunite has been identified in a tectonic inclusion (75×44 m) occurring near the western faulted margin of the Woodsreef Serpentinite in northern New South Wales. The serpentinite is one of a series of ultramafic bodies which forms the Great Serpentinite Belt of eastern Australia. Major mineralogy of the rock, which is best described as a foliated amphibolite, includes a sodic amphibole, a sodic pyroxene and albite. Neptunite is restricted to leucocratic, albite-rich layers in the inclusion, where it occurs as dark-reddish brown crystals up to 7 mm long. Its concentration is generally less than 1%. Under the microscope, neptunite grains are euhedral and subhedral, deep red and orange in colour, with a marked pleochroism. The refractive indices are: =1.69, =1.70, =1.73; 2V=39° (+). The average chemical composition, determined by microprobe analysis and neutron activation analysis, corresponds to the formula Li_1.2Na_2.2K_0.8Fe_1.7Mn_0.1Mg_0.2Ti₂Si₈O₂₄. The neptunite from Woodsreef thus occupies a place nearest to the neptunite end-member in the series neptunite—mangan-neptunite. The powder diffraction data gave, after a least squares refinement,a=16.43,b=12.51,c=10.00 Å, =115.32°. The origin of the rock containing neptunite is briefly discussed.

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Neptunit aus dem Serpentin von Woodsreef, Neu-Süd-Wales: Ein neues Vorkommen

Zusammenfassung Neptunit kommt in einem tektonischen Einschluß (75×44 m) innerhalb des Woodsreef-Serpentinits im nördlichen Neu-Süd-Wales vor. Der Serpentinit gehört zu einer Serie von ultramafischen Körpern, die den Großen Serpentinitgürtel (Great Serpentinite Belt) von Ostaustralien bilden. Das neptunitführende Gestein befindet sich in der Nähe der Peeler Störungszone, welche für eine Geosutur gehalten wird. Das Gestein, das am besten als Amphibolitschiefer bezeichnet wird, enthält grüne Natronhornblende, Natronpyroxen und Albit. Das Vorkommen von Neptunit ist auf albitreiche, leukokrate Bänder beschränkt, in denen er in Form von dunkelrot-braunen Kristallen von bis zu 7 mm Länge vorkommt. Mikroskopisch sind die Neptunitkörner idiomorph bis hypidiomorph und deutlich pleochroitisch. Der Gehalt an Neptunit ist gering, meistens unter 1%. Die Brechungsindizes sind =1,69, =1,70, =1,73; 2V=39° (+). Die durchschnittliche chemische Zusammensetzung führt zu Li_1,2Na_2,2K_0,8 Fe_1,7Mn_0,1Mg_0,2Ti₂Si₈O₂₄, die das Mineral aus Woodsreef in die Nähe des Neptunit-Endgliedes der Reihe Neptunit-Manganneptunit bringt. Diffraktometeraufnahmen ergabena=16,43,b=12,51,c=10,00 Å, =115,32°. Der mögliche Ursprung des neptunitführenden Gesteines wird kurz erörtert.

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With 3 Figures     

Anthropogenic marker evidence for accelerated sedimentation in Lake Illawarra,New South Wales,Australia

The chronology of near-surface sediments in Lake Illawarra has been investigated using radiocarbon dating and anthropogenically derived substances including trace metals, ash, and¹³⁷Cs. Sediments at depths about 1 m below the water-sediment interface ranged in age from Modern to 786 calendar years bp on the basis of radiocarbon dating ofNotospisula trigonella valves. Multiple marker (for example ash-trace metals) depth-concentration sediment profiles yielded estimates of sedimentation rate ranging from 3 to 5 mm yr^–1 at Griffins Bay to more than 16 mm yr^–1 at Macquarie Rivulet. Sedimentation rates of approximately 10 mm yr^–1 appeared to be typical of the western and southwestern portions of the lagoon. Rates of sediment accretion, prior to catchment clearing, urbanization, and industrialization have been estimated at less than 1 mm yr^–1, thus indicating a general tenfold increase in sediment accumulation adjacent to the western foreshore caused by catchment development. Accelerated sedimentation in shallow coastal lagoons constitutes significant environmental impacts including shoaling, degradation of seagrass beds, and increased turbidity with consequent loss of aesthetic appeal. Management policy should be directed at attempts to reduce the amount of sediment input by the construction of strategically placed sediment retention ponds. Siltation within the shallow embayments of Lake Illawarra could be ameliorated by a carefully planned program of dredging.     

Garnet clinopyroxenite inclusions from diatremes in the Gloucester area,New South Wales,Australia

The paper discusses the petrography, mineralogy, petrochemical affinities, P/T crystallization regimes and genetic aspects of four garnet clinopyroxenite inclusions from diatremes in the Gloucester area, New South Wales. Inclusion mineral assemblages (which generally display textural evidence of annealing) include garnet-plagioclase-(sulphur-rich scapolite)-clinopyroxene, garnet-hornblende-orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene and garnet-hornblende-clinopyroxene. The garnet-plagioclase clinopyroxenite inclusion possesses an essentially alkali basaltic chemistry. It probably represents a crystallized basaltic liquid whereas the petrochemical affinities of the two garnet pyroxenites carrying amphiboles are more appropriate to subcalcie clinopyroxenites with variable Mg/Fe ratios. Experimental and other data suggest that the Gloucester garnet clinopyroxenite suite crystallized at pressures of the order of 10–14 kb and temperatures in the vicinity of 1000° C. The chemical compositions of many garnet pyroxenites, occurring either as inclusions in alkali basaltic rocks or as localized facies within some alpine-type peridotites, such as those in the western Mediterranean region, suggest that they can be interpreted as lower temperature heteromorphs of “primitive” subcalcic clinopyroxenites, variable in Al contents and hy/di ratios, but retaining consistently low Ti, Na, K and P. It is suggested that many inclusions of garnet (-spinel) pyroxenite and subcalcie Clinopyroxenite, restricted to alkali basaltic rocks and their associates, originally may have been interleaved with upper mantle aluminous peridotites and that they represent partial melt products of their aluminous peridotitic hosts.     

Stream-aquifer interactions in the Maules Creek catchment, Namoi Valley, New South Wales, Australia

The interaction between surface-water streams and groundwater in the Maules Creek catchment of northern New South Wales, Australia has been investigated using a wide range of techniques. Zones of groundwater discharge were mapped by measuring the temperature and fluid electrical-conductivity distribution in bores and surface water. Zones where surface water appears to be recharging the aquifer were investigated by measuring the vertical head gradient between the stream and adjacent bores and by estimates of the decreasing surface flow. Geological heterogeneity appears to be the most significant factor in controlling exchange. Lithological information was assembled using geophysical logging of existing bores, supplemented by the results of electrical resistivity imaging. A preliminary water balance was assembled from the available State records of groundwater abstraction for irrigation, rainfall, evapotranspiration and flow gauging in Maules Creek and the adjacent Namoi River. The analysis has demonstrated the complexity of these coupled systems and gives an indication of the most efficient techniques to be deployed in the field to investigate these complex but important systems.     

Mineral matter and trace elements in coals of the Gunnedah Basin, New South Wales, Australia

The concentrations of major and trace inorganic elements in a succession of Permian coals from the Gunnedah Basin, New South Wales, have been determined by X-ray fluorescence techniques applied to both whole-coal and high-temperature ash samples. The results have been evaluated in the light of quantitative data on the minerals in the same coals, determined from X-ray diffraction study of whole-coal samples using a Rietveld-based interpretation program ( ™), to determine relationships of the trace elements in the coals to the mineral species present. Comparison of the chemical composition of the coal ash interpreted from the quantitative mineralogical study to the actual ash composition determined by XRF analysis shows a high degree of consistency, confirming the validity of the XRD interpretations for the Gunnedah Basin materials. Quartz, illite and other minerals of detrital origin dominate the coals in the upper part of the sequence, whereas authigenic kaolinite is abundant in coals from the lower part of the Permian succession. These minerals are all reduced in abundance, however, and pyrite is a dominant constituent, in coals formed under marine influence at several stratigraphic levels. Calcite and dolomite occur as cleat and fracture infillings, mostly in seams near the top and bottom of the sequence. The potassium-bearing minerals in the detrital fraction are associated with significant concentrations of rubidium, and the authigenic kaolinite with relatively high proportions of titanium. Zirconium is also abundant, with associated P and Hf, in the Gunnedah Basin coal seams. Relationships exhibited by Ti, Zr, Nd and Y are consistent with derivation of the original sediment admixed with the seams from an acid volcanic source. Pyrite in the coals is associated with high concentrations of arsenic and minor proportions of thallium; no other element commonly associated with sulphides in coals, however, appears to occur in significant proportions with the pyrite in the sample suite. Small concentrations of Cl present in the coal are inversely related to the pyrite content, and appear to represent ion-exchange components associated with the organic matter. Strontium and barium are strongly associated with the cleat-filling carbonate minerals. Ge and Ga appear to be related to each other and to the coal's organic matter. Cr and V are also related to each other, as are Ce, La, Nd and Pr, but none of these show any relationship to the organic matter or a particular mineral component.     

Petrogenesis of sulphide-bearing reaction zones in the Coolac ultramafic belt,New South Wales,Australia

The Coolac ultramafic belt consists dominantly of variably serpentinised harzburgite and contains a diversity of tectonic inclusions. Reaction zones of chlorite-, talc- and Ca-Al silicate-rich rocks are commonly developed between serpentinites and either tectonic inclusions or country rocks. The chlorite-and talc-rich parts of the reaction zones typically contain sparsely disseminated to rarely massive Cu- and Fe-bearing sulphides, variable sphalerite, and minor Ni- (-Co-Fe) sulphides, arsenides and sulpharsenides, Pb and Bi minerals. The reaction zones have formed concomitantly with the serpentinisation of the harzburgite at temperatures of 100°–350°C and at pressures of <6 kb. Migration of Ca, Al, Ti, V, Sc, Cu and Zn has occurred from the ultramafic rocks to the reaction zones. The sulphur content of the ultramafic rocks increased during serpentinisation, but decreased markedly in the final stage of the process owing possibly to rising oxygen fugacity. The availability of sulphur during serpentinisation may have enabled sulphide minerals to form from the concentration of base metals in the reaction zones.

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Zusammenfassung Der ultrabasische Gürtel von Coolac besteht vorwiegend aus unterschiedlich serpentinisiertem Harzburgit und weist mannigfaltige tektonische Einschlüsse auf. Reaktionszonen Chlorit-, Talk-, und Ca-Al-Silikat-reicher Gesteine sind gewöhnlich entwickelt im Kontaktbereich zwischen serpentinisiertem Harzburgit und entweder tektonischen Einschlüssen oder Gesteinen der Umgebung. Die Chlorit- und Talk-reichen Partien der Reaktionszone enthalten typischerweise fein verteilte, seltene Konzentrationen von Cu- und Feführenden Sulphiden, mit wechselndem Zinkblendegehalt, und untergeordnet Ni(-Co-Fe) Sulphide, Arsenide und Schwefel-haltige Arsenide, sowie Pb-und Bi-haltige Mineralien. Die Reaktionszonen entstanden zusammen mit der Serpentinisierung des Harzburgits bei Temperaturen von 100°–350°C und unter einem Druck von <6 Kb. Migration von Ca, Al, Ti, V, Sc, Cu und Zn verlief von den ultrabasischen Gesteinen zu den Reaktionszonen. Der Schwefelgehalt der ultrabasischen Gesteine nahm während der Serpentinisierung zu, verringerte sich jedoch auffällig im letzten Stadium des Prozesses, möglicherweise wegen der zunehmenden Verflüchtigung des Sauerstoffes. Das Angebot von Schwefel während der Serpentinisierung mag der Grund für die Bildung von Sulphiden aus Schwermetallkonzentration in den Reaktionszonen gewesen sein.

     

A sulphur isotope study of the Broken Hill deposit,New South Wales,Australia

Sulphur isotopic compositions of sulphides within garnet-rich rocks and high-grade ore from the Broken Hill deposit, New South Wales, Australia, have been determined and show a range of values of –3.3 to +6.7 per mil. Thermochemical considerations, including the spread of values of ³⁴S, suggest that the deposit was derived from a mixed source of sulphur in which seawater, reduced by inorganic processes, mixed with magmatic sulphur or that sulphate from contemporaneous seawater was reduced biogenically at low temperatures. Thermochemical considerations also suggest that pyrrhotite formed by desulphidation of pyrite so that the original Fe-S-O assemblage was pyrite ± magnetite.³⁴S measurements show a broad range which is considered to be due to isotopic reequilibration during retrograde metamorphism and analytical and sampling technique. These data should not be used to indicate original temperatures of deposition or metamorphic temperatures associated with the various metamorphic events.