Research and Write about Geologic Setting of Project Area

Geologic Setting of Project Area

Geologic setting is the description of key structures, geologic units and landforms near a project area based on a review of preexisting field reviews and existing data. This paper will tackle the geologic setting of Koonenberry Belt through examining the location and the features that characterize the area relate to its tectonic setting

The Koonenberry Belt is a fault that is deep, long-lived, and it forms a vital feature of imagery in the area of location. The belt is located in the Cumamona province, and it includes parts of Thomson and Delamerian orogens. The Koonenberry Belt is not near an active tectonic boundary. The belt is a result of the intercontinental rifting that is associated with the breakup of the super-continent Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic period (Team). This resulted in the Kara formations and Mount Arrowsmith Volcanic alkali-basalt. The deposition of the shelf is the major cause of the formation of these units in the Neoproterozoic period. The Koonenberry Belt has some representations of Neotectonism in the form of recent seismic activity and young fault scars.

The Koonenberry Belt possesses a variety of mineral prospects in a range of styles. The area is rich in volcanic sulphide, copper, zinc and gold deposits that are embedded in the Ponto Group. These groups resulted from the Mount Wright Volcanic flows in the Cambrian period. The belt has a normal fault that separates the Ordovician sediments from the tertiary volcanic rocks. In addition, opal white cliffs occur in the sedimentary rocks as thin layers (Team). The eastern margin of the belt contains reverse faults that produce hanging wall anticlines. This reverse faults are a result of the deformation in the late Ordovician period which is related to the Benambran Orogeny.

Works Cited

Team. Geological Mapping. NSW Government. 2011 August 2011. Web. Retrieved 29 November 2011 from

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/geological/about/mapping/koonenberry-geological-mapping-project.