EGU23-4669, updated on 22 Feb 2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4669
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic Convergent Margins in Northeast Queensland, Australia - New Ideas from the Discovery of Metamorphic Diamonds and Ophiolites.

Alexander Edgar1, Ioan Sanislav1, Paul Dirks1, and Carl Spandler2
Alexander Edgar et al.
  • 1College of Science and Engineering, Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU), James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
  • 2Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

The Tasmanides of eastern Australia record a complex geological history. The central, and southern Tasmanides have been widely interpreted to reflect long-lived, accretionary-style convergent tectonics. The northernmost Tasmanides, which extend into north Queensland, are more poorly understood, but considered highly prospective for numerous styles of mineralization. The region contains several slices of mafic-ultramafic rocks, situated along major regional structures. The mafic-ultramafic complexes record strong, oceanic geochemical signatures, and are structurally interleaved within high grade, strongly deformed, Paleozoic basement metamorphic assemblages. Along the Clarke River Fault, the Running River Metamorphics, which host ophiolitic mafic-ultramafic rocks, also record evidence of diamond facies, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphism. The discovery of diamond facies metamorphism, in conjunction with convergent margin ophiolites, suggests that the Clarke River Fault may represent a continental suture zone. This is the first indication of continent suturing in the Tasmanides, and challenges the idea that the Tasmanides, and greater Terra Australis Orogen, represent a simple accretionary system.

How to cite: Edgar, A., Sanislav, I., Dirks, P., and Spandler, C.: Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic Convergent Margins in Northeast Queensland, Australia - New Ideas from the Discovery of Metamorphic Diamonds and Ophiolites., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4669, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4669, 2023.