MountRogers,the(very)earlydays

BackintheCambrianandtheEarlyOrdovicianepochs,closetofivehundredmillion
yearsago,thelandscapeoftheACTandEasternAustraliadidn'texist.The
continentallandmassofGondwana,thatincludedAustralia,wasboundedby
marginalseabasins(backarcs),withvolcanicislandarcsontheoutward,oceanic
side,resemblingtodaysislandarcsintheCaribbean,Japan,ThePhilippines,New
GuineaandtheSolomonIslands,TongatoNewZealand,andtheIndonesianisland
arcintheIndianOcean.Outsidethemtheplanet'scrustunderneaththegreatworld
oceanboiledslowly,likeporridgeinapot,movinganinchortwoeveryyeartoward
thecontinent,pushingagainsttheislandarcrampartandeventuallyplunging
underneathit.Thehardrockycrustoftheislandsscrapedthetoplayerofoceanic
oozeoffthemoving,plungingoceancrust,muchasabulldozerbladescrapesthe
soilofftherockysubsurface.Theoozecontainedthesiliceousskeletonsofoceanic
radiolariansnocalciteskeletoncouldsurviveattheseabyssaldepthsunderseveral
kilometersofoceanwater.

EventuallythepileofoozethePittmanFormationandtheStateCircleShalebuilt
upandwaspushedontothelowermarginsoftheislandarccalledtheMacQuarie
Arcingentlefolds.Thisdeepwaterterrainwastheforearcbasin.Asthe
OrdovicianendedandtheSilurianepochbegan,aroundfourhundredandthirty
fourmillionyearsago,theshalewascoveredbysandysedimenttheBlack
MountainSandstonebroughttothecoastsoftheMacQuarieArcbyriversand
cascadingdowntherampoftheoffshoreslopetofillthemuddytroughatthe
bottom.ThuswaslaidthefoundationsofeasternAustraliaandNewZealand.The
pileofsedimentsoftheforearcbasin,eventuallyextendinghundredsofkilometres
totheeastoftheACTandgettingeverthicker,waspusheduptheslope,andthe
coralreefsoftheCanberraFormationbegantogrowintheshallowingwateraround
theislandarc.TheareathatwouldbecometheACT,pushedalonglikeasurferona
wave,overlaidtheplungingoceanicplatewhich,hundredsofkilometresbelow,had
meltedandwassendingplumesofvolcanicmagmauptowardthesurfaceasthe
planetlabouredtoshedtheheatgeneratedbytheCore.

Adoglosestheheatgeneratedinitsactivemuscularbodybypanting.TheEarth
doesthesame,butherexhalationseachlastamillionormoreyears.Youcanseethe
processmostclearlytodayontheislandofTanna,oratRotorua.Adoggoesthrough
cyclesofpantingandsilence.TheEarthsequivalentiscalledanorogeniccycleand
lastsabout50millionyearsbeforefallingquietforabout10million,thenbeginning
againastheheatbuildsupinside.Theepisodedescribedaboveisnamedthe
BenambranOrogenicCycle.


Eventually,around430millionyearsago,thesubductionzoneattheocean/island
arcplateboundarybecamecloggedwithsedimentsandvolcanicsandjammedby
irregularitiesandentireislandchainsforcedupagainsttheplateboundary.The
islandbarrierdidretreatbeforethishorizontalpressure,butslowlyandreluctantly,
compressingthebackarcbasinbehind,whichwasnowfilledupwithsediments
carrieddownbyriversfromboththecontinentallandmassitselfandthemountains
pushedupalongtheislandarc.TheCanberraareahadrisenabovesealevel.The
PacificOceanplate,stalled,blockedandunabletomove,retreatedoceanwardtothe
easternedgeofthemountainousmassofsedimentsandvolcanicsandbeganto
descendthere,fartotheeastoftheACT.Thecrustabovethenowdislocated
plungingplateundertheACT,relievedofthecompressivepressure,relaxedand
stretched.ThestretchedcrustfracturedandtheCanberraareasankdownintoarift,
avalleyboundedbyfaults.Theabandonedoceanicplatebelowitcontinuedits
plungetowardtheCore,meltingandsendingplumesofmoltenvolcanicmagmaand
bossesandmushroomshapedbatholithsofmoltengraniteupwards,seekingout
everycrackandcrannyinthecrustalrocks,infiltratingthemwithtendrilsof
superheatedhydrothermalfluid,hydraulicallyfracturingthemandfinallyforcing
themasidetomakewayfortheascendingvolcaniclavaandthegranite.Thesinking
CanberraRiftwithitsmarginalextensionalfaultsprovidedareadyaccessforthe
ascendingvolcanicplumes.

Theeventfrom428toabout370millionyearsBPiscalledtheTabberabberan
OrogenicCycle.

Atthebeginningofthiscycle,foraboutfourmillionyearsfrom428to424MaBP,
theCanberraareawassubjectedtorecurrenteruptionsoftheAinslieVolcanics,the
WalkerVolcanics,theMountPainterVolcanics,anditisthisMiddleSiluriansuiteof
rocks,collectivelycalledtheHawkinsVolcanicSuite(Smhongeologicalmaps,or
justSv)thatconstitutesMountRogersandmuchoftheACT.TheCapitalTerritory
waspartoftheringoffirearoundthePacificrim,whichisstillgoingstrong,now
morethanthreethousandkilometrestotheeastandnortheastofus,extendingin
ourvicinityfromNewGuinea,throughtheSolomonIslandstoVanuatuandfrom
TongatoNewZealand.

Whilethevolcanicsbrokeoutontothesurface,abovesealevel,sometimesingreat
explosiveeruptions,thegraniticmagmarisingfromtheplutonicdepthslodgedand
solidifiedsomefiveormorekilometersbelowit.Likeagiantmushroomitpushed
upthecountryrocksaboveit,andthisstretchedandbrokencapstonewas
vulnerabletoerosion.Therewaslittleornovegetationonthelandinthisearly
periodofbiologicalhistory,sotheprocessoferosionandremovalbyrainandrivers
proceededfasterthanitwouldtoday.Kilometresofsurfacerockwasquickly
removed,andthenowcoldgranitewaseventuallyexposedonthesurfaceofthe
land.OneofthebiggestgranitemassesbecametheMurrumbidgeeBatholithwhose
frostbrokentopweadmireintheNamadgiNationalPark,withnameslike
Legoland,TheSpinnakerandGorillaRock.Theresultingcomplexofplutonic,
volcanicandsedimentaryrocksistheeasternpartoftheLachlanFoldBelt,oneofa
numberofstructuralunitsthatmakeupEasternAustralia.

IfyoustudyapieceoftherockfoundtodayonandaroundMountRogersanylittle
bitwilldo,anditwillshowbetterifyouwetityouwillseeitisagreenishgreyto
purplishcolour,withsmalllightcolouredfragmentsofirregularshapescattered
throughit.Itresemblesthedepositsfoundaroundexplosivevolcanoesofthetype
thatdestroyedPompeiiandMountSaintHelensandthatperiodicallycauseshavoc
onCaribbeanandotherislandchains.Thisdacite,rhyolite,andesiteandburning
cloudignimbriteischaracteristicofvolcanicsthathaveforcedtheirwaythrough
theuppercrustandsediment.Itisquiteunliketheblackbasalticlavathatflows
comparativelyquietlyoutofvolcanoesonoceanicislandslikeHawaiiorIceland.
Thatisdark,basiclavastraightfromtheEarth'smantleanditflowslikemelted
glass;thisislightercoloured,acidic,viscousandexplosive.Itcomestothesurface
fullofgasesthathavenotbeenabletoescapethroughthethick,viscouslava,and
thatnowdosowithviolentresults.

Thismarkedacidictendencymustselectandinfluencetheplantsthatgrowonthe
mountain.Thefirstlandplantsbeganatthistime,intheSilurianPeriod,includinga
famousonethattoweredaboveitsunderstoreytoaheightofatleastaninch,25to
30millimeters,averitableSiluriancedar.Itisknownaroundtheworldunderthe
nameofCooksonianothingtodowiththefamousseacaptain,itsdiscovererwas
ElizabethCookson,anAustralianpaleobotanist.Itisbrieflydescribed(withlife
sizedsketch)intheGeologicalGuidetoCanberra(Finlaysonetal,theprincipal
sourceforthisarticle,seeRefsbelow)andtherevolutiontheseplantstriggeredin
theEarthsecologyiscanvassedonpage28.Thenexttimeyouseealichencovered
rockonthemountain,haveacloserlook.Thevarietyandvitalityoflichensmay
surpriseyou.Speculativeliteraturesometimescanvassesthepossibilityofterra
formingMars,makingitmorelikeEarth.OnthelichenousrocksofMountRogers
youarelookingatthedescendantsofthepioneersthatterraformedtheEarth.

WedonotknowwhathappenedonMountRogersintheagesthatfollowedthe
Silurian,becausethearearemainedabovesealeveluntiltoday,andthesolid
evidenceofhistorywasremovedbyerosion.Some20millionyearslaterand40km
tothenorthwestofMountRogersashallowsealaiddownexceptionallyfine
grainedlimestonethatentombedandreplacedthebodiesoffishwiththefinest
detailspreserved.ThesemiraculouslypreservedspecimensfromtheEarly
Devonian(Emsian)TaemasLimestoneofWeeJasperandonLakeBurrinjuckare
worldfamous.Theyrevealthedetailofdevelopmentofearlyeyes,ears,
electromagneticsensesandtheintimatedetailsoftheirbraincaseandnervous
systems.TheyhavebeendescribedbyGavinYoungoftheResearchSchoolofEarth
SciencesattheAustralianNationalUniversity.Thesefourhundredmillionyearold
fish,theplacoderms,aretheancestorsoffourleggedlandcreatures.Thearmourin
whichtheirbodies,andeventheireyes,wereencased,showswhatacompetitive
anddangerousenvironmenttheylivedingivingthemasustainedandstrong
incentivetoleavetheseaandwalkupontheland.Oneoftheirpredatory
competitors,nowintheANUsfossilcollectionandnotnormallyaccessibletothe
public,isformidableenoughtoendangeranymansizecreaturethatcamewithin
range.BecauseAustraliahasnonationalhomeforthesepreciousfossils,thevery
bestofthemarenowlodgedandjealouslyguardedintheworldsleadingnatural
historymuseums.AustralianscientistsmustgotoplaceslikeLondonandask
permissiontostudythemtheretheyarejusttoovaluabletobelenttoAustralia.
Darwinsfamousquestionwherearetheearly,transitionalmodelsofthemodern
eyeisorwillbeansweredinpartbythesepricelessindicatorsofourcontinents
(andourplanets)biologicalhistory.

Intheeasttheplatemarginagainandagainsteppedbacktoonesideortheotherof
thecompressedmassblockingthesubductionzoneattheocean/islandarc
boundary.Thediagramonp17ofFinlaysonandcoauthors(referencebelow)
showsthishappeningduringoneshortperiodofthiscomplexhistory.Afteroneof
theseplatereorganisationstheTasmanSeabeganopeningup.NewZealanddrifted
awaytotheeast.TheeasternAustraliancoastalrimmovedslowlyupward,forming
theelevatedscarpandplateauthatwecrosstogettothecoast.Riversrespondedby
cuttingdownwardtoformgorgesinnumerouslocations,andtheydepositedthe
wastegravelsandalluviumontheirfloodplains.

Ihaveskatedoverthelongandintricatehistoryoftheinterveningages,when
Australia,attachedtoGondwana,driftedintotheAntarcticCircleandtheglaciers
advanced.TheyretreatedagainwhenourcontinentleftAntarcticabehindand
beganitssolojourneynorth.GiantriversthesizeoftheGangescarriedbillionsof
tonsofcleanwashedriversanddownintotheSydneyBasintoformthe
HawkesburySandstoneandcreateitsspectacularlandscapes.Dinosaursroameda
lushwellwoodedlandwateredbyabundantrain.

MountRogerswasundoubtedlypartofthelandscape,graduallywearingdownto
thecharminglittlehillitnowis.Itssoils,fortoolongexposedtoweathering,
oxygenation,andleachingbyrain,arenotparticularlyfertile.Ourflorahave
respondedtothesedeprivedconditionswithavarietyofingeniousstrategies,
extractingthemaximumnutritionfromasparseandmiserlylarder.Theydeserve
ouradmirationandoursolicitousloveandcare.Theyareunique,andifour
climatechangesalarminglyfastandwarmsaspredicted,wemaycometodependon
thiscleverfloratokeepourlandfrombecomingadesertlikemostofthelong
cultivatedandmuchabusedMiddleEast.

Refs:
AGeologicalGuidetoCanberraRegionandNamadgiNationalPark,FinlaysonD.M.
[authorandcompiler]andcoauthors.GeologicalSocietyofAustralia(ACTDivision)
Canberra2008.(140pageswithCDofgeologicalexcursionsandplacesofinterest.
Bibliographyandusefulwebsites)CanbeboughtattheshopintheBotanical
GardensandtheNationalLibrary.

ISBN9780646487342

GeologyofCanberra,Queanbeyanandenvirons,notestoaccompanythe1980
1:50,000geologicalmap,G.A.MHenderson,(compiler)AustralianGovtPublishing
ServiceCanberra1981.AvailablefromtheSalesDivisionatGeoscienceAustraliain
Symonston.

AnInternetsearchforFinlaysonDMSeismicImagingwillyieldaplethoraof
researchpapersbythisandotherauthorsonthecomplexplatetectonichistoryand
structureofEasternAustraliaandtheSouthWestPacificmargin.Agoodocean
floormapofthesameareashowsitsintriguingstructure,centeringtodayonFiji.

AidanMoore

Melba,ACT2012