The Geology of AustraliaThis book documents the rich and spectacular heritage of the Australian continent over the last 4400 million years. Now in its third edition, The Geology of Australia provides a comprehensive overview of Australia's geology, landscapes and Earth resources. Beginning with the Precambrian rocks that hold clues to the origins of life and the development of an oxygenated atmosphere, it goes on to cover the warm seas, volcanism and episodes of mountain building that formed the eastern third of the Australian continent. This illuminating history details the breakup of the supercontinents Rodinia and Gondwana, the times of previous glaciations, the development of climates and landscapes in modern Australia, and the creation of the continental shelves and coastlines. This third edition features two new chapters on geological time and Paleozoic orogenic rock systems and mountain building, and new and updated illustrations and full-colour images. |
Contents
| 1 | |
A geology primer | 23 |
The great canvas | 69 |
Building the core of Precambrian rocks | 85 |
Paleozoic orogenic rock systems | 109 |
Tropical corals and arid lands | 131 |
Carboniferous and Permian glaciation | 147 |
The great inland plains and seas | 171 |
Flowering plants mammals and deserts | 195 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accumulated animals Antarctica Archean assemblages Australian Craton Barrier Reef basalt beach belt breakup Cambrian carbonate Carboniferous Cenozoic central climate coal coast coastal commonly continent continental crust continental margin continental shelf coral cratons crustal David Johnson deep Delamerian deposits developed Devonian dinosaurs Earth Earth’s surface east eastern Australia edge erosion erupted extensive faults Figure formed fossil record geological glacial global Gondwana granite igneous Island isotope Jurassic Lake landscape late lava layers limestone lithosphere magma magmatic arc mantle metamorphic minerals mountain mudstone Neoproterozoic northeastern northern Queensland northwards occurred offshore Ordovician Orogen Paleocene Paleozoic Permian plants plate boundary Precambrian Queensland range represented ridges rifting river Robert Henderson rock systems Rodinia sand sandstone sea level seafloor spreading sediment sedimentary basins sedimentary rocks shallow shoreline silica Silurian Source South Australia South Wales southern subduction complex Sydney Tasman Tasmania temperature thick Triassic Victoria volcanic western Western Australia zone