Block gliding and rheological deformation in the Southern Sydney basin

Block gliding caused by low frictional resistance or by the deformation of plastic substrates has been well documented from many parts of the world, but neither of these mechanisms explains the widespread gliding of sandstone blocks away from cliffs in the southern Sydney Basin of south‐eastern Australia. The movement of large blocks over declivities from near zero to a maximum of 5°, high frictional resistance and lack of high porewater pressures rule out a simple sliding mechanism and it is unlikely that slender towers of sandstone could have survived seismic vibration sufficient to overcome frictional resistance to gliding. Highly preferential dip control of the direction of gliding and of the development of benches over which the blocks move, together with mounds, similar to pressure ridges, on the benches, indicate that the block gliding is due to the rheological deformation of the underlying rock, even though it is a sandy siltstone lacking readily deformable beds. Estimated rates of deformation are only 11 m/Ma to 270 m/Ma, but are commensurate with the rates of erosional retreat of clifflines estimated from K‐Ar and ¹⁴C chronologies. This phenomenon may be a significant feature of many slowly eroding landscapes, and prompts revision of models of long‐term geomorphological evolution.