St Michaels Cave (Avalon Beach)

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St Michaels Cave
St Michaels Cave Avalon Beach NSW Australia.JPG
Location Avalon Beach, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°37′44.83″S151°20′21.23″E / 33.6291194°S 151.3392306°E / -33.6291194; 151.3392306
Depth 15 metres
Length 110 metres
Geology Dolerite & Narrabeen Group
Hazards falling rocks
Access not allowed
Australia New South Wales relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Coordinates 33°37′45″S151°20′21″E / 33.62912°S 151.33923°E / -33.62912; 151.33923 Coordinates: 33°37′45″S151°20′21″E / 33.62912°S 151.33923°E / -33.62912; 151.33923
Managing authorities

St Michaels Cave is situated in the Sydney suburb of Avalon Beach. This sea-side cave is around 110 metres long, 15 metres high and 10 metres wide. The original colonial owner was a Reverend John Therry, who planned to deliver lectures within the cave and build a church above it. The cave was formed by the erosion of a jurassic dyke through triassic sedimentary rocks. The cave is known to be a breeding site for Common bent-wing bats and Large-eared pied bats. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

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Dike (geology) A sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture in a pre-existing rock body

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See also

Sydney Basin Region in New South Wales, Australia

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.

Bald Hill Claystone Dominantly red shale and fine to medium-grained sandstone.

Bald Hill Claystone is a sedimentary rock found in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. It is part of the Clifton sub-group of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. It was formed by weathering of the Gerringong Volcanics in the early Triassic. Named after Bald Hill, in the northern Illawarra, where it is 15 metres thick. The claystone is easily noticed at Long Reef, where it is 18 metres thick.

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Narrabeen group Quartz-lithic to quartzose sandstone, conglomerate, mudstone, siltstone, rare coal.

The Narrabeen group of sedimentary rocks occurs in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. This series of rocks was formed in the Triassic Period.

Bringelly Shale Shale, carbonaceous claystone, laminite, lithic sandstone, rare coal

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Garie Formation

The Garie Formation is a narrow band of sedimentary rocks occurring in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. This stratum is up to 8 metres thick, situated below the sandstones of the Newport Formation. Formed in the mid-Triassic, it is part of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. Garie formation consists of layers of clay pellet sandstone, dark lithic particles, spotted volcanic deposits and chocolate coloured claystone bands.

Bulgo Sandstone

Bulgo Sandstone is a sedimentary rock occurring in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. This stratum is up to 100 metres thick, formed in the early Triassic. A component of the Narrabeen Group of sedimentary rocks. It consists of layers of fine to medium-grained quartz-lithic sandstone, with lenticular shale interbeds.

Long Reef (New South Wales)

Long Reef is a prominent headland in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. Connected to the mainland by a tombolo, the reef has an extensive wave-cut platform. Long Reef is a popular recreational destination and is one of the more interesting geological areas in Sydney.

Mount York Claystone

Mount York Claystone is a narrow band of sedimentary rocks occurring in the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia. This stratum is up to 13 metres thick. Mount York Claystone consists of red brown claystones, of fine‐grained and coarsely oolitic, kaolinite clayrocks.

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