Origin of the New England contorted mountain belt: implications for plate tectonics, magmatism and mineralisation (2009-2011)
Abstract
Curvatures of mountain chains are recognised globally but exactly how they form is an unresolved question. Explaining the origin of curved mountain belts will facilitate tectonic reconstructions, which are crucial for predicting the time and place of formation of related ore deposits. This project aims to explain the origin of a contorted ancient mountain system in eastern Australia, which mimics the shape of the modern Alpine-Mediterranean chain. The underlying tectonics of the southern New England belt, and how the process of mountain curvature was spatially and temporally related to magmatism and ore deposit formation, will be investigated by means of structural analysis, targeted geochronology and regional tectonic reconstructions.
