Compressional Control on Sediment and Facies Distribution Sw Nappamerri Syncline and Adjacent Murteree High, Cooper Basin

Abstract

The northeast-trending Nappamerri Syncline and its flanking high to the southeast, the Murteree-Nappacoongee (NM) Trend, show structural development throughout the deposition of the Permo-Triassic Cooper Basin sequences. Pre-existing topography, such as around Moomba, influenced early depositional patterns within the area. Rates of sedimentation were influenced by the rate of uplift of source areas around the basin, largely as a consequence of buckling. Periods of active tectonism resulted in non-deposition and stripping of sediments from uplifted blocks while deposition continued in deeper areas. Hangingwall blocks, pushed up along reverse faults, strongly influenced the areas of sedimentation and the facies being deposited. This is particularly evident along the NM Trend. Phases of uplift were immediately followed by increased sedimentation where fluvial deposition dominated. The effect of displacement along the northwest-trending basement lineaments was to subdivide the northeast trends into compartments which contain similar facies within each time slice. Adjacent compartments may display different facies and different tectonic histories. An inversion episode, particularly evident in the Big Lake/Moomba area, resulted in a reversal of the depocentre and was related to phases of Sakmarian compression.Facies distribution and sandstone percentage maps of the chronostratigraphic units of the Patchawarra Formation suggest that a northeast-trending major channel system entered this part of basin along the NW edge of the Murteree area.

Integrating 40Ar–39Ar, 87Rb–87Sr and 147Sm–143Nd geochronology of authigenic illite to evaluate tectonic reactivation in an intraplate setting, central Australia

“…This would allow not only lateral accommodation of granitic melt (Petford et al, 2000), but also the influx and circulation of basinal fluids. This is consistent with normal faulting along the "Moomba High" (Apak et al, 1995) and Pennsylvanian extension throughout central to eastern Queensland. Such extension lead to widespread emplacement of silicic intrusions within the Kennedy-Connors-Auburn Province (Allen et al, 1998;Donchak et al, 2013) and development of the Galilee Basin Koburra Depocentre Fig.…”

“…The Warburton Basin succession is intruded by the Big Lake Suite (BLS) granite that was previously thought to be associated with the Alice Springs Orogeny (Sun, 1997) and dated at 298 ± 4 and 323 ± 5 Ma (preferred SHRIMP ages) from the Moomba 1 and McLeod 1 wells, respectively (Gatehouse et al, 1995). The BLS has two predominant cupolas that comprise the "Moomba High" that is bounded by normal faults (Apak et al, 1995).These cupolas (Fig. 1b) are unusually enriched in heat-producing and/or radioactive elements: K, Th and U (up to 144 ppm Th and 30 ppm U; Middleton et al, 2013).…”

Chemical and mineralogical characterisation of illite–smectite: Implications for episodic tectonism and associated fluid flow, central Australia

“…This is also shown from stable isotope data indicating the involvement of isotopically different hydrothermal fluids consistent with evolved basinal fluids of meteoric origin. An influx of basinal fluids in the Carboniferous marks the extension of the Warburton Basin, as seen from normal faulting along the "Moomba High" (Apak et al, 1995), and intrusion of the BLS granite dated at 323 ± 5 Ma (Gatehouse et al, 1995). A similar scenario was also postulated by McLaren et al (Mavromatidis, 2008).…”

Paleo stress contribution to fault and natural fracture distribution in the Cooper Basin

“…2), and are called by Apak et al (1993Apak et al ( , 1995Apak et al ( , 1997 initial and second Sakmarian uplifts. Another significant hiatus is recorded palynologically separating the Early Permian from the Late Permian sequences called Daralingie Unconformity (Paten, 1969).…”

“…2). The depositional environment was controlled by highly sinuous fluvial system flowing northward over a floodplain with peat swamps, lakes and gentle uplands (Apak et al, 1993(Apak et al, , 1995(Apak et al, and 1997. The remaining Cooper Basin sediments were deposited during a period of tectonic quiescence, within an open basin environment with restricted access to the sea from the east followed by a meandering fluvial system (Stuart, 1976;Thornton, 1979).…”