Surface Geology of Australia 1:1,000,000 Scale, 2010 Edition

Full description

The Surface Geology of Australia (2010 edition) is a seamless national coverage of outcrop and surficial geology, compiled for us e at or around 1:1 000 000 scale. The data maps outcropping bedrock geology and unconsolidated or poorly consolidated regolith m aterial covering bedrock. Geological units are represented as polygon and line geometries, and are attributed with information r egarding stratigraphic nomenclature and parentage, age, lithology, and primary data source. The dataset also contains geological contacts, structural features such as faults and shears, and miscellaneous supporting lines like the boundaries of water and ice bodies.

The dataset has been compiled from merging the seven State and Territory 1:1 000 000 scale surface geology datasets released by G eoscience Australia between 2006 and 2008, correcting errors and omissions identified in those datasets, addition of some offshor e island territories, and updating stratigraphic attribute information to the best available in 2010 from the Australian Stratigr aphic Units Database (http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/stratnames/index.jsp). The map data were compiled largely from simplifying and edgematching existing 1:250 000 scale geological maps. Where these maps were not current, more recent source maps, ranging in s cale from 1:50 000 to 1:1 000 000 were used. In some areas where the only available geological maps were quite old and poorly lo cated, some repositioning of mapping using recent satellite imagery or geophysics was employed.

This data is freely available from Geoscience Australia under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia Licence.

It is recommended that these data be referred to as:

Raymond, O.L., Retter, A.J., (editors), 2010. Surface geology of Australia 1:1,000,000 scale, 2010 edition [Digital Dataset] Geoscience Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. http://www.ga.gov.au

Specialised Geographic Information System (GIS) software is required to view this data.

Descriptions of MAP_SYMB attribute field:
MAP_SYMB format = Drxy

1. D = unit age. Two letters may be used for units spanning for than one age periods.

Cenozoic Cz
Quaternary Q
Mesozoic Mz
Cretaceous K
Jurassic J
Triassic -R
Paleozoic Pz
Permian P
Carboniferous C
Devonian D
Silurian S
Ordovician O
Cambrian -C
Proterozoic -P
Neoproterozoic N
Mesoproterozoic M
Paleoproterozoic L
Archean A

2. r = gross rock descriptor. A one letter code to reflect the broad lithological composition of the unit

IGNEOUS EXAMPLES
g felsic to intermediate intrusive granite, granodiorite, tonalite, monzonite, diorite, syenite
d mafic intrusive gabbro, dolerite, norite
f felsic extrusive / high level intrusive rhyolite, dacite, ignimbrite, pyroclastic rocks
a intermediate extrusive / high level intrusive andesite, trachyte, latite, pyroclastic rocks
b mafic extrusive / high level intrusive basalt, scoria, shoshonite, pyroclastic rocks
u ultramafic undivided (intrusive & extrusive) komatiite, high Mg basalt, pyroxenite, dunite, wehrlite
k alkaline ultramafic kimberlite, lamprophyre, carbonatite

SEDIMENTARY
s siliciclastic/undifferentiated sediment shale, siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate, mudstone
j volcanogenic sediment epiclastic sediments and breccias, greywacke, arkose
l carbonate sediment limestone, marl, dolomite
c non-carbonate chemical sediment chert, evaporite, phosphorite, BIF
o organic-rich rock coal, amber, oil shale

MIXED SEDIMENTARY & IGNEOUS
v felsic & mafic volcanics
i felsic & mafic intrusives
w volcanics & sediments

METAMORPHIC
y low-medium grade meta clastic sediment slate, phyllite, schist, quartzite
t low-medium grade metabasite mafic schist, greenstone, amphibolite
r low-medium grade metafelsite rhyolitic schist, meta-andesite
m calc-silicate and marble meta carbonates and calcareous sediments
n high grade metamorphic rock gneiss, granulite, migmatite
p high-P metamorphic rock eclogite, blueschist
h contact metamorphic rock hornfels, spotted slate
e metamorphosed ultramafic rocks serpentinite, talc schist, chlorite schist (no feldspars), tremolite schist, ultr amafic amphibolite

OTHER
z fault / shear rock mylonite, fault breccia, cataclasite, gouge
q vein quartz vein, carbonate vein
x complex, melange, undivided, unknown

3. xy = One or two letters to reflect the stratigraphic name of a unit. Where practical, these letters reflect stratigraphic g rouping or hierarchy. For instance, formations within a named group should have letter symbols reflecting their parent group.

eg: Tomkinson Creek Group - Lsk
Bootu Formation - Lskb