Aussie Gold

South Australian geology spans a time period from the Early Precambrian through the Quaternary Period. The Gawler Craton formed more than three billion years ago during felsic magmatism processes causing the movement of silicate minerals and magma. This process continued up until half a billion years ago. The Gawler Craton is resource rich including sources for jade, diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, cobalt, and nickel.

Sometime around the breakup of Rodinia 700 million years ago, the Adelaide Rift Complex formed. Land deformation and salt tectonics influenced development of the rift. The Flinders and Mount Lofty Ranges basement rocks formed during this time. The Musgrave, Coompana, and Madura Provinces formed at the same time.

During Paleozoic time, the Tasman Fold Belt, Adelaide Geosyncline, and Delamerian Fold Belt formed. Basins developed early basement rocks which continued throughout Phanerozoic time. Early Paleozoic basins in the eastern region formed the Stansbury, Arrowie, and Warburton basins. Devonian time witnessed the Officer, Amadeus basins along with the Boorthana Trough Darwin Basin development. Delamerian tectonics occurred between Early and Middle Paleozoic time. Late Paleozoic time witnessed the Troubridge basin development, Pedrika Basin economic geology development, and possible igneous intrusives.

The Mesozoic Period witnessed Jurassic-Cretaceous rifting associated with the separation of Australia from Antarctica with placement of kimberlitic intrusives.

Tertiary time was a time of drying out and deep weathering with the formation of ferricrete, silcrete, and calcrete paleosols.

Chapter 1 provides and overview of South Australian geology. Chapter 2 present the sedimentary framework of Phanerozoic basins. Chapter 3 presents post-Delamerian compressive deformation of the Amadeus, Musgrave, Officer, and Warburton basins. Chapter 4 presents Late Paleozoic events. Chapter 5 introduces Mesozoic era rifting basin development. Chapter 6 introduces Tertiary economic geology. Chapter 7 continues with Tertiary deep weathering and formation of ferricrete and silcrete paleosols. Chapter 8 discusses geologic history as ist relates to paleoclimate. Chapter 9 discusses Quaternary geology. Chapter 10 continues paleosol discussions with soil types, paloesols, and calacrete development. Chapter 11 summarizes economic geology of the region. Chapter 12 presents a summary of alluvial gold prospectives.