The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, is a region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately 162 km (101 mi) to 310 km (193 mi) north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and south. Situated at the northern end of the Sydney Basin bioregion, the Hunter Valley is one of the largest river valleys on the NSW coast, and is most commonly known for its wineries and coal industry.
The Sydney Basin is an interim Australian bioregion and is both a structural entity and a depositional area, now preserved on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia and with some of its eastern side now subsided beneath the Tasman Sea. The basin is named for the city of Sydney, on which it is centred.
The geology of Australia includes virtually all known rock types, spanning a geological time period of over 3.8 billion years, including some of the oldest rocks on earth. Australia is a continent situated on the Indo-Australian Plate.
The Surat Basin is a geological basin in eastern Australia. It is part of the Great Artesian Basin drainage basin of Australia. The Surat Basin extends across an area of 270,000 square kilometres and the southern third of the basin occupies a large part of northern New South Wales, the remainder is in Queensland. It comprises Jurassic through to Cretaceous aged sediments derived from Triassic and Permian arc rocks of the Hunter-Bowen orogeny. Towns situated above the basin, once dominated by agriculture, are experiencing a boom as mines and infrastructure in the area are expanded.
The Hunter-Bowen Orogeny was a significant arc accretion event in the Permian and Triassic periods affecting approximately 2,500 km of the Australian continental margin.
Nobbys Head is a headland located on the southern entrance to Newcastle Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is situated above the Hunter River and the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean.
The Wianamatta Group is a geological feature of the Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia that directly overlies the older Hawkesbury sandstone and generally comprise fine grained sedimentary rocks such as shales and laminites as well as less common sandstone units.
The Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) or Lachlan Orogen is a geological subdivision of the east part of Australia. It is a zone of folded and faulted rocks of similar age. It dominates New South Wales and Victoria, also extending into Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. It was formed in the Middle Paleozoic from 450 to 340 Mya. It was earlier known as Lachlan Geosyncline. It covers an area of 200,000 km2.
Geologically the Australian state of New South Wales consists of seven main regions: Lachlan Fold Belt, the Hunter-Bowen Orogeny or New England Orogen (NEO), the Delamerian Orogeny, the Clarence Moreton Basin, the Great Artesian Basin, the Sydney Basin, and the Murray Basin.
The geology of Queensland can be subdivided into several regions with different histories. Along the east coast is a complex of Palaezoic to Cainozoic rocks while much of the rest of the state is covered by Cretaceous and Cainozoic rocks. A Precambrian basement is found in the north west and Cape York regions. The Thomson Orogen occurs in the central and southern parts of Queensland, but is mostly covered by younger basins.
The Clarence Moreton Basin is a Mesozoic sedimentary basin on the easternmost part of the Australian continent. It is located in the far north east of the state of New South Wales around Lismore and Grafton and in the south east corner of Queensland. It is the part of the Great Artesian Basin that extends to the east coast in Australia's central eastern lowlands.
Munmorah Conglomerate is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. This stratum is up to 140 metres thick. Formed in the early-Triassic, it is part of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. This formation includes medium to coarse-grained sandstone and conglomerate. With minor amounts of siltstone and claystone. Below the Munmorah Conglomerates are Newcastle Coal Measures, originating from the Permian.
The Terrigal Formation is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. Commonly seen in the Central Coast region, this stratum is up to 330 metres thick. Formed in the early to mid Triassic, it is part of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. This formation includes interbedded fine to medium-grained sandstone and siltstone, with minor deposits of claystone. Hawkesbury Sandstone occasionally overlies the Terrigal Formation. Numerous fossils are known from this area, including the temnospondyl amphibian Arenaerpeton supinatus.
Milton Monzonite is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. Formed in the early Triassic from an igneous intrusion, dated from 245 to 220 million years ago. Milton Monzonite is found in the southern coast areas of New South Wales near Milton. The soils derived from monzonite produce relatively fertile soils, and contribute to agriculture and the sub tropical rainforest at Yatteyattah, north of Milton. Surrounding and below the monzonite is the Conjola Formation, which are sedimentary rocks from the Permian.
The Allyn River Member is a geologic formation in the New England Orogen in eastern Australia.
Nobbys Tuff is a geologic formation in eastern Australia. Found in Newcastle within the Lachlan Orogen, this stratum is up to 25 metres thick. Formed from volcanic ash in an eruption in the Wuchiapingian age, in the late Permian around 255.02 Ma. This formation includes tuff, tuffaceous sandstone, tuffaceous siltstone, claystone, and chert. Often noticed at Nobbys Head in Newcastle.
Scarborough Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. Commonly seen in the Illawarra region, this stratum is up to 26 metres thick. Formed in the early Triassic, it is part of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. This formation includes quartz-lithic sandstone, sometimes with pebbles.
Stanwell Park Claystone is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. Commonly seen in the Illawarra region, this stratum is up to 79 metres thick. Formed in the early Triassic, it is part of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks.This formation includes red, green and grey shale with quartz-lithic sandstone.
Reids Mistake Formation is a geologic formation in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. It may be seen at the Swansea Headland Petrified Forest, near Swansea, New South Wales. Formed in the late Permian, it is part of the Boolaroo Subgroup of the Newcastle Coal Measures.
Boolaroo Subgroup is a geologic formation in the Lachlan Orogen in eastern Australia in the Hunter Region. Formed in the late Permian, it is part of the Newcastle Coal Measures. This formation includes sandstone, conglomerate, tuff, and black coal. Belmont Conglomerate Member, part of the Boolaroo Subgroup can be seen at Caves Beach, New South Wales.
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