Developing a coherent tectonic framework for the southern Australian Proterozoic: exploring linkages between the Curnamona Province and the Gawler Craton

Project Investigators

Michael Szpunar (PhD Candidate)

Doctor Karin Barovich

Associate Profesor Martin Hand

Project Details

The southern Australian Proterozoic is dominated by two domains; the Gawler Craton and the Curnamona Province. Both these regions are of proven economic significance in that they host some of the largest ore bodies ever found and have therefore been the focus of mineral exploration efforts for a number of years. In addition these regions also contain the record of the way in which the southern Australian Proterozoic system was assembled. While there has been considerable focus on the tectonic evolution of the Curnamona Province, and there is a growing focus on the development of the Gawler Craton, there has been little attempt to systematically explore tectonic linkages between the Curnamona Province and the Gawler Craton.

Models attempting the describe the evolution of the Australian Proterozoic have evolved considerably in the past 15 years from ensialic (intracratonic) models, to a growing recognition that plate tectonic style processes may have played a key role. The importance of developing appropriate tectonic models lies in the fact that there is a proven link between the regional tectonic systematics and the development of mineral systems that are focus of mineral exploration. Therefore developing regional tectonic framework models creates a significant driver for the minerals industry.

It is clear that the key to developing a coherent model for the evolution of the southern Australian Proterozoic is understanding the tectonic linkages between the Curnamona Province and the Gawler Craton.

The project will be developed via a series of interlinked Modules that act as self-contained subprojects. This project structure allows the delivery of subproject outcomes throughout the overall project.

Module 1: Isotopic and geochemical characterisation of the basement inliers in the Adelaide Hills.

Module 2: Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic tectonothermal evolution of basement inliers in the Adelaide Hills.

Module 3: Isotopic and geochemical constraints on the provenance of the Wallaroo Group in the eastern Gawler Craton.

Module 4: Isotopic and geochemical characterisation of Paleoproterozoic metasediments and volcanics on eastern Eyre Peninsula, eastern Gawler Craton.

Together these 4 modules will provide a set of constraints that link the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province into a regional tectonic framework.