Geological History of the Cairns-Townsville Hinterland

A history of geological events derived from regional mapping of 35,000 square miles in North Queensland from 1956 to 1959. The dataset describes the structure of the Georgetown Shield and the adjacent Tasman Geosyncline, including details on sediment thickness, rock types, and tectonic events. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Analyze sediment deposition patterns using described thicknesses like 40,000 feet in the geosyncline and 30,000 feet in the Etheridge Geosyncline.
• Model the extent of igneous intrusions based on the 20,000 square miles of acid and 5,000 square miles of basic/ultrabasic rock outcrops.
• Study tectonic evolution using described events like the uplift of the central geanticline and the formation of the Broken River Rift.
• Correlate rock types and metamorphic grades, such as granulite and amphibolite, with described Precambrian tectonic events.

Strengths

• Covers a large, defined area of 35,000 square miles.
• Provides specific quantitative measurements, including sediment thicknesses up to 409,000 feet and spatial dimensions of geological zones.

Limitations

• Primary data collection occurred over a limited time period (1956-1959), so interpretations may be dated.
• The dataset is presented as a historical narrative in PDF/HTML, lacking structured, machine-readable data columns for direct analysis.
• Sample data and row counts are unavailable, limiting assessment of data volume and granularity.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Regional geological mapping project.

Time Range

Study conducted from 1956 to 1959; geological history spans from the Precambrian to the late Carboniferous.

Freshness

null

Geography

Cairns-Townsville Hinterland, North Queensland, Australia.