Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
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Online Publication Date: 05 Nov 2007

A History of Research on Hunter Fault System or "Lineament"

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Page Range: 205 – 213
DOI: 10.17704/eshi.6.2.a686377183m24773
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The Hunter Fault System or "Lineament" separates the Permian and Triassic of Sydney Basin in New South Wales from the relatively complicated region to the north and east with exposed Carboniferous and older rocks and an increasing amount of identified Permian. David in his inimitable fashion grasped the essentials in 1907. He noted that the fold movements began towards the end of the Upper Permian with an important phase between the Upper Coal Measures and the Narrabeen Series. He also noted the main north-south component. The interest kindled by David was reflected in the work of Browne, Carey, Osborne, Raggatt, and Voisey. These workers established that the Carboniferous was affected by tectonic movement prior to the Permian and that the main ("orogenic") folding of the Permian/Triassic began with deposition of the Muree Formation and continued during the Upper Permian with overthrusting at the end of the Permian followed by strong rotational stress. This entire episode was called the Hunter-Bowen Movement by Carey and Browne in 1938. They also noted that the area of the subsequently developed Sydney Basin supplied sediment in the Carboniferous to the north and east. Raggatt, in his unpublished thesis of 1938 had already concluded that increasing compression led to upthrusting and eventually to torsion. Much of this seems to have been lost sight of in recent work. Current work confirms that the Permian/Triassic folding began with the Muree and that prior to this in the Permian a northwest to southeast graben was present to the south and west of the Hunter structure. Prior to the Permian the area of the Sydney Basin supplied detritus in the Carboniferous north and east of the Hunter structure apparently indicating a long-lived structure or lineament on which a reversal of movement took place.

BRAKEL, A.T., 1981, Basement lithologies below the Sydney Basin in the Hunter Valley Region. Abstracts 15th Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin, Department of Geology, University of Newcastle, 1981, 25-26.

BROWNE, W.R., 1927, The geology of the Gosforth District, N.S.W., Part I - General Geology. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 60, 213-277.

CAREY, S.W., 1934, The geological structure of the Werrie Basin. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 59, 351-379.

CAREY, S.W., and BROWNE, W.R., 1938, Review of the Carboniferous tectonics and palaeo-geography of New South Wales and Queensland. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 71, 591-614.

DAVID, T.W.E., 1907, The geology of the Hunter River Coal Measures, New South Wales. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of New South Wales, Geology, 4.

DICKINS, J.M. and MALONE, E.J., 1973, Geology of the Bowen Basin, Queensland. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Bulletin, 130.

EVANS, P.R., and ROBERTS, J., 1980, Evolution of central eastern Australia during the late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 26, 325-340.

HANLON, F.N., 1948a, Geology of the Northwestern Coalfield, Part 1, Geology of the Willow Tree District. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 81, 280-286.

HANLON, F.N., 1948b, Geology of the Northwestern Coalfield, Part 2, Geology of the Willow Tree-Temi District. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 81, 287-291.

HARRINGTON, J.J., 1982, Tectonics and the Sydney Basin. Abstract of the 16th Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin, Department of Geology, University of Newcastle, 1982, 15-19.

HERBERT, C., 1980, Depositional development of the Sydney Basin. In: A guide to the Sydney Basin (Eds. C. Herbert and R. Helby). Geological Survey of New South Wales, Bulletin, 26, 10-52.

KORSCH, R.J. and HARRINGTON, H.J., 1981, Stratigraphic and structural synthesis of the New England Orogen. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 28, 205-226.

LEITCH, E.C., 1974, The geological development of the southern part of the New England Fold Belt. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 21, 135-156.

MAYNE, S.J., NICHOLAS, E., BIGG-WITHER, A.L., RASIDI, J.S. and RAINE, M.J., 1974, Geology of the Sydney Basin - a review. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Bulletin, 149.

MOELLE, K.H.R. and SUTHERLAND, W.A., 1977, A Late or post-Triassic age for thrust faulting near Broke, New South Wales, Search, 8, 429-430.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1928a, The Carboniferous rocks between Glennies Creek and Muscle Creek, Hunter River District, New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 53, 565-587.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1928b, The Carboniferous rocks in the Muswellbrook-Scone District, with special reference to their structural relations. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 53, 588-597

OSBORNE, G.D., 1929, Some aspects of the structural geology of the Carboniferous rocks in the Hunter River District between Raymond Terrace and Scone. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 54, 436-462.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1950, The structural evolution of the Hunter-Mining Province, New South Wales. Royal Society of New South Wales, Monograph, 1.

RAGGATT, H.G., 1929, Note on the structural and tectonic geology of the Hunter Valley between Greta and Muswellbrook with special reference to the age of the disastrophism. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 54, 273-282.

RAGGATT, H.G., 1938, Evolution of the Permo-Triassic Basin of East Central New South Wales. Unpublished D.Sc. Thesis, University of Sydney.

RATTIGAN, J. and McKENZIE, P.J., 1969, History of sedimentation in the Sydney Basin. A. Hunter Valley. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 15, 426-434.

RAWLINGS, C.D., and MOELLE, K.H.R., 1982, The Lochinvar structure: not just an anticline. Abstracts 16th Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin, Department of Geology University of Newcastle, 1982, 23-24.

ROBERTS, J. and ENGEL, B., 1980, Carboniferous palaeogeography of the Yarrol and New England orogens, eastern Australia. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 27, 167-186.

SCHEIBNER, E., 1973, A plate tectonic model of the tectonic history of New South Wales. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 2, 405-426.

SCHEIBNER, E., 1976, Explanatory notes on the tectonic map of New South Wales. Geological Survey of NSW.

STUNTZ, J., 1972, The subsurface distribution of the "Upper Coal Measures", Sydney Basin, New South Wales. Papers presented at the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Conference Newcastle, May-June, 1972, 1-9.

VOISEY, A.H., 1959, Tectonic evolution of north-eastern New South Wales. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 92, 191-203.

EVANS, P.R., and ROBERTS, J., 1980, Evolution of central eastern Australia during the late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 26, 325-340.

HANLON, F.N., 1948a, Geology of the Northwestern Coalfield, Part 1, Geology of the Willow Tree District. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 81, 280-286.

HANLON, F.N., 1948b, Geology of the Northwestern Coalfield, Part 2, Geology of the Willow Tree-Temi District. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 81, 287-291.

HARRINGTON, J.J., 1982, Tectonics and the Sydney Basin. Abstract of the 16th Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin, Department of Geology, University of Newcastle, 1982, 15-19.

HERBERT, C., 1980, Depositional development of the Sydney Basin. In: A guide to the Sydney Basin (Eds. C. Herbert and R. Helby). Geological Survey of New South Wales, Bulletin, 26, 10-52.

KORSCH, R.J. and HARRINGTON, H.J., 1981, Stratigraphic and structural synthesis of the New England Orogen. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 28, 205-226.

LEITCH, E.C., 1974, The geological development of the southern part of the New England Fold Belt. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 21, 135-156.

MAYNE, S.J., NICHOLAS, E., BIGG-WITHER, A.L., RASIDI, J.S. and RAINE, M.J., 1974, Geology of the Sydney Basin - a review. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Bulletin, 149.

MOELLE, K.H.R. and SUTHERLAND, W.A., 1977, A Late or post-Triassic age for thrust faulting near Broke, New South Wales, Search, 8, 429-430.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1928a, The Carboniferous rocks between Glennies Creek and Muscle Creek, Hunter River District, New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 53, 565-587.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1928b, The Carboniferous rocks in the Muswellbrook-Scone District, with special reference to their structural relations. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 53, 588-597.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1929, Some aspects of the structural geology of the Carboniferous rocks in the Hunter River District between Raymond Terrace and Scone. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 54, 436-462.

OSBORNE, G.D., 1950, The structural evolution of the Hunter-Mining Province, New South Wales. Royal Society of New South Wales, Monograph, 1.

RAGGATT, H.G., 1929, Note on the structural and tectonic geology of the Hunter Valley between Greta and Muswellbrook with special reference to the age of the disastrophism. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 54, 273-282.

RAGGATT, H.G., 1938, Evolution of the Permo-Triassic Basin of East Central New South Wales. Unpublished D.Sc. Thesis, University of Sydney.

RATTIGAN, J. and McKENZIE, P.J., 1969, History of sedimentation in the Sydney Basin. A. Hunter Valley. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 15, 426-434.

RAWLINGS, C.D., and MOELLE, K.H.R., 1982, The Lochinvar structure: not just an anticline. Abstracts 16th Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin, Department of Geology University of Newcastle, 1982, 23-24.

ROBERTS, J. and ENGEL, B., 1980, Carboniferous palaeogeography of the Yarrol and New England orogens, eastern Australia. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 27, 167-186.

SCHEIBNER, E., 1973, A plate tectonic model of the tectonic history of New South Wales. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 2, 405-426.

SCHEIBNER, E., 1976, Explanatory notes on the tectonic map of New South Wales. Geological Survey of NSW.

STUNTZ, J., 1972, The subsurface distribution of the "Upper Coal Measures", Sydney Basin, New South Wales. Papers presented at the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Conference Newcastle, May-June, 1972, 1-9.

VOISEY, A.H., 1959, Tectonic evolution of north-eastern New South Wales. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 92, 191-203.

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