Is Australia a tectonically stable continent? Analysis of a myth and suggested morphological evidence of tectonism

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Occasional references to the relative tectonic instability of the Australian continent have been published over the last hundred years. Despite this, it was repeatedly claimed that the shield lands in particular were tectonically stable, and as recently as this century reference has been made to a concept embracing a tectonically inert continent. However, analyses of seismicity and faulting and regional geological mapping revealed widely distributed tectonic forms and especially fault-related features, many of them of neotectonic age. This conclusion was reinforced by technological advances that allow faulting episodes to be closely dated. Thus, while Australia is a relatively stable continent, it is subject to widespread small-magnitude earth movements.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Progress in physical geography, issn : 0309-1333, 2011, vol. 35, n°. 4, p. 493-515, nombre de pages : 23, Références bibliographiques : 6,5 p.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, London, Sage Publications