Georgina Basin
Encyclopedia
The Georgina Basin is a large (ca. 330,000 km²) intracratonic
sedimentary basin
in central and northern Australia
, lying mostly within the Northern Territory
and partly within Queensland
. It is named after the Georgina River
which drains part of the basin. Deposition of locally up to ca. 4 km of marine and non-marine sedimentary rock
s took place from the Neoproterozoic
to the Ordovician
(ca. 850-350 Ma). Along with other nearby sedimentary basins of similar age (Amadeus Basin
, Officer Basin
), the Georgina Basin is believed to have once been part of the hypothetical Centralian Superbasin
, that was fragmented during episodes of tectonic activity.
Craton
A craton is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere. Having often survived cycles of merging and rifting of continents, cratons are generally found in the interiors of tectonic plates. They are characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock, which may be covered by...
sedimentary basin
Sedimentary basin
The term sedimentary basin is used to refer to any geographical feature exhibiting subsidence and consequent infilling by sedimentation. As the sediments are buried, they are subjected to increasing pressure and begin the process of lithification...
in central and northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, lying mostly within the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and partly within Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It is named after the Georgina River
Georgina River
The Georgina River is the north-westernmost of the three major rivers of the Channel Country in western Queensland that flow in extremely wet years into Lake Eyre.-Geography:...
which drains part of the basin. Deposition of locally up to ca. 4 km of marine and non-marine sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
s took place from the Neoproterozoic
Neoproterozoic
The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time from 1,000 to 542.0 ± 1.0 million years ago. The terminal Era of the formal Proterozoic Eon , it is further subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran Periods...
to the Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
(ca. 850-350 Ma). Along with other nearby sedimentary basins of similar age (Amadeus Basin
Amadeus Basin
The Amadeus Basin is a large intracratonic sedimentary basin in central Australia, lying mostly within the southern Northern Territory, but extending into the state of Western Australia. It is named after Lake Amadeus which lies within the basin...
, Officer Basin
Officer Basin
The Officer Basin is a large intracratonic sedimentary basin in Australia, lying across the states of South Australia and Western Australia. It is named after Officer Creek which is a watercourse that drains a small part of the basin. Deposition of up to 10 km of marine and non-marine sedimentary...
), the Georgina Basin is believed to have once been part of the hypothetical Centralian Superbasin
Centralian Superbasin
The Centralian Superbasin is a term for a large intracratonic sedimentary basin which is interpreted to have occupied a large area of central, southern and western Australia during much of the Neoproterozoic...
, that was fragmented during episodes of tectonic activity.
External links
- Georgina Basin page at Northern Territory Geological Survey
- http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Minerals_Energy/Geoscience/Content/File/Pubs/Record/NTGSRec2002-004.zip Georgina Basin SEEBASE Project report (April - May 2002) at Northern Territory Geological Survey (zip)