A framework for the palaeozoic geology of the southern part of the New England Geosyncline

The southern part of the New England Geosyncline is divided by the Peel Fault into two major zones, termed the Tablelands Complex to the east and the Tamworth Belt to the west. Because of stratigraphical similarities the Hastings Block is correlated with the Tamworth Belt. Seven major lithostratigraphic associations are recognized in the Tablelands Complex. The Woolomin Association is a deepwater marine chert‐jasper‐basic volcanic‐dominated sequence in which sandstones are rare. The Sandon Association is a turbidite sequence in which minor chert, jasper, and basic volcanics are present. The Coffs Harbour Association is a deepwater marine turbidite sequence and is distinguished from the Sandon Association by the absence of chert, jasper, and basic volcanics. The Nambucca Association is also deepwater marine in nature and is dominated by diamictites deposited by mass movements. The Silverwood Association contains components of a volcanic arc, and the Dummy Creek Association consists of terrestrial to shallow‐water marine sediments deposited in rim synclines associated with the granitic intrusions. The above associations contain sandstones which are predominantly quartz‐poor lithic greywackes and these differ from the Beenleigh Association which contains continental shelf to deepwater marine deposits in which the sandstones are quartz‐rich. Recognition of the associations has been hindered by the intrusion of four granitic suites, metamorphism of the sediments under differing conditions of temperature and pressure, and fragmentation by several large‐scale faults into numerous blocks.