The Petermann Orogeny, Central Australia

Chief Investigator

Associate Professor Martin Hand

Project Summary

The Petermann Orogen is an intracontinental event that affected basement rocks of the northern Musgrave Province and Proterozoic sediments of the (now) southern Amadeus Basin between ~550-535 Ma. Prior to the Petermann Orogen, which resulted in exhumation of the Musgrave Block, the Amadeus Basin was contiguous with the Officer Basin in SA. The extent and affect of the Petermann Orogen appears to be relatively confined, occurring most pervasively within the central northern-Musgrave Province. Here, older Musgravian (~1200-1150 Ma) fabrics are partially to completely overprinted by sub-eclogite-facies mineral assemblages (11-12 kbar at 650 ° C). The Woodroofe Thrust, Davenport Shear Zone and Mann Fault accommodated much of the 30-40 km exhumation. Exhumation of the Musgrave Block (and overlying sediments) resulted in successive unroofing and deposition of rocks types such as arkose and conglomerate in localised basins that now outcrop as Uluru and Kata Tjuta respectively (the Bloods Range Beds). Beyond this region of intense Petermann-aged activity, deformation related to the Petermann Orogen is less pervasive and ductile.

Related Publications

Flöttmann, T., Hand, M., Close, D., Edgoose, C. & Scrimgeour, I. 2004. Thrust tectonic styles of the intracratonic Petermann and Alice Springs Orogenies, Central Australia. In McClay, K (ed) Memoir No 82 Thrust Tectonics and Hydrocarbon Systems, American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Wade, B.P, Hand, M. and Barovich, K. M. 2005. Nd isotopic and geochemical constraints on provenance of sedimentary rocks in the eastern Officer Basin, Australia: implications for the duration of the intracratonic Petermann Orogeny Journal of Geological Society London. Vol 162, pp 513-530.