Revised stratigraphy of the Permian Bainmedart Coal Measures, northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica

1997 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN MCLOUGHLIN ◽  
ANDREW N. DRINNAN

The Bainmedart Coal Measures constitute the middle portion of the Permian–Triassic Amery Group, which represents the only substantial Palaeozoic–Mesozoic sedimentary succession exposed in eastern Antarctica outside the Transantarctic Mountains. The coal measures disconformably or unconformably overlie alluvial fan deposits of the Radok Conglomerate and are conformably overlain by the dominantly fluviatile Flagstone Bench Formation. The coal measures were deposited within alluvial settings dominated by north to northeasterly flowing, low-sinuosity rivers chiefly confined to broad, fault-bounded, valleys of the Lambert Graben, a major late Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic failed rift system. Both climatic and local tectonic factors are considered to have been the major influences on the pattern of coal measure sedimentation. Recent mapping has identified a much greater thickness of sediments within the coal measures than had been inferred previously. The Bainmedart Coal Measures are formally subdivided into six members. In ascending stratigraphic order these are: Dart Fields Conglomerate Member (<3 m thick), Toploje Member (c. 300 m thick), Dragons Teeth Member (15–25 m thick), Glossopteris Gully Member (c. 670 m thick), Grainger Member (c. 350 m thick) and McKinnon Member (c. 530 m thick).

1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Fielding ◽  
J. A. Webb

AbstractThe mid- to Upper Permian Radok Conglomerate, the lowermost formation of the Permo-Triassic Amery Group, crops out in the Beaver Lake area of the northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica. Outcrop is confined to a north-south elongate, fault-bounded corridor interpretedas a remnant of a continental extensional basin formed during Late Palaeozoic times. This basinforms a small part of the much larger Lambert Graben, a major continental rift system. The RadokConglomerate consists of interbedded conglomerates, argillaceous sandstones, siltstones, and minor, thin carbonaceous siltstones and coals. Textural, petrographic, palaeocurrent and other data suggestlocal derivation from Precambrian massifs to the immediate west, during a period of fault activity.The unit is a minimum of 400 m thick, the base being unexposed, and grossly fines upward. It isabruptly overlain by quartzo-feldspathic sandstone-dominated rocks of the Upper Permian Bainmedart Coal Measures. Seven recurrent lithofacies have been recognized with the Radok Conglomerate, and are interpreted as the products of poorly-confined stream flow, sheet flow and sediment gravity flow processes, suspension fallout in shallow standing water, and organic sediment accumulation in peat-forming wetlands. The unit as a whole is interpreted as having accumulated as a coarse alluvial apron along the western margin of a ?graben extensional trough. Similar, though poorly exposed, facies are exposed on the eastern margin of the basin and may reflect similar depositional systems. Towards the top of the Radok Conglomerate, typical Radok lithologies are interbedded with quartzo-feldspathic sandstones derived from the south, precursors of the overlying Bainmedart Coal Measures. Interference between transverse (Radok) and axial (Bainmedart) drainage is possibly related to progressive infilling of extensional topography, thereby allowing axially flowing rivers to avulse increasingly into the Beaver Lake region from the main Lambert Graben.


2013 ◽  
Vol 295-298 ◽  
pp. 2770-2773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dai Yong Cao ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Ying Chun Wei ◽  
Xiao Yu Zhang ◽  
Chong Jing Wang

Besides coal seam, the source rocks including dark mudstone, carbon mudstone and so on account for a large proportion in the coal measures. Based on the complex geothermal evolution history, the majority of coal measure organic matters with the peak of gas generation have a good potential of gas. Therefore, shale gas in coal measure is an important part of the shale gas resources. There are good conditions including the thickness of coal measures, high proportion of shale rocks, rich in organic matter content, high degree of thermal evolution, high content of brittle mineral and good conditions of the porosity and permeability for the generation of shale gas in Wuli area, the south of Qinghai province. Also the direct evidence of the gas production has been obtained from the borehole. The evaluation of shale gas in coal measure resources could broaden the understanding of the shale gas resources and promote the comprehensive development of the coal resources.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Roehnert ◽  
Frank Lisker ◽  
Maria Laura Balestrieri ◽  
Luca Grewe ◽  
Evandro Balbi ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Northern Victoria Land constitutes the Pacific terminus of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) on the western shoulder of the Cenozoic West Antarctic Rift System. It is characterised by a distinct morphological transition from an elevated peneplain that dominates throughout most of the TAM to a strongly undulating relief with prominent narrow crests and alpine peaks. This contrast is associated with a lithological change from high-grade metamorphics and granitoids to low-grade metasedimentary rocks that contain only few scattered igneous bodies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;New high-resolution thermochronological data (fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He) from more than 60 locations in the Southern Cross Mountains and Mountaineer Range of northern Victoria Land provide the basis for studying regional exhumation and uplift with particular focus on the establishment of landscape contrasts. In an integrated approach, differences in topography are examined with respect to regional and local controls including tectonics, lithology and climate to identify differential trends and quantify the morphological evolution of the TAM and West Antarctic Rift System.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two coastal profiles covering 2 to 3 km in elevation reveal apatite fission track ages from 23 to 45 Ma with mean track lengths of 13.3 &amp;#8211; 14.7 &amp;#956;m. Corresponding (U-Th-Sm)/He apatite and zircon data range between 19 &amp;#8211; 32 Ma and 24 &amp;#8211; 27 Ma, respectively. The dates show distinctive spatial trends of increasing ages from north to south and at greater distance to the coast whereby younger cooling ages correlate with stronger terrain segmentation and higher topographic relief.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thermal history modelling of the combined data indicates that accelerated cooling commencing at 35 Ma proceeded at progressively higher rates reaching &gt;25&amp;#176;C/Ma in late stages. This cooling episode continued until at least 20 Ma and refers to exhumation from burial depths of more than 5 km, clearly exceeding the calculated overburden on adjacent crustal blocks to the south. Although rapid upper lithospheric cooling is a generic feature of northern Victoria Land, the current data demonstrates that Cenozoic exhumation dynamics were highly differential. Understanding these patterns requires thorough balancing of structural against isostatic factors, lithological against climate parameters and focussed local incision against large-scale denudation and levelling processes.&lt;/p&gt;


1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 85-85
Author(s):  
J. M. Dickins

IGCP 203 - Permo-Triassic events of eastern Tethys and their intercontinental correlation - focussed on the Permian-Triassic boundary sequences and in particular there was a consensus that the distinctive biological changes were associated with strong sea-level and tectonic change, strong volcanic activity and a harsh climate. These factors were connected with an important change in the environment and with the exception perhaps of the climate, reflected deep-seated changes within the earth. The project also resulted in improving the physical understanding of the sequences and their biostratigraphy and correlation.IGCP 272 was developed, and was approved in 1988, to apply these results to understanding the Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic and was focussed on the Pacific as integration around this region seemed to offer especially fruitful possibilities.Working group meetings up to the end of 1991 have been held in Australia (Newcastle and Hobart), New Zealand (Dunedin), South America (Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires) and North America (Washington). Meetings are planned in North America, Japan, Eastern Siberia or Thailand and western Europe (France-Spain-Austria).Special cooperation has developed with the Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic Subcommissions of IUGS and with IGCP 214 - Global Bio-events. Using the more exact time correlations developed it has now been possible to show that major geological and biological events (of different levels of significance) are associated with major boundaries already recognized in the World Standard Stratigraphical Time Scale. These comprise the Carboniferous-Permian, the mid-Permian (twofold subdivision, the Permian-Triassic (already recognized in earlier work), the Lower-Middle and Middle-Upper Triassic and the Triassic-Jurassic boundaries.A special achievement of the project has been to show the similar significance of the Midian-Dzhulfian boundary within the Upper Permian but corresponding closely to the traditional Lower-Upper Permian of China and the Middle-Upper Permian of Japan.Although there are also other events at levels which have not been investigated by the project, those outlined all seem to reflect important changes within the earth.


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