Structural Geology of the Cape Liptrap region of southeastern Australia

Sandra McLaren, The University of Melbourne
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Initial Publication Date: July 21, 2023

Summary

This activity is a virtual field experience set in spectacularly deformed Palaeozoic rocks southeast of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Exercises on Day 1 of the virtual field experience are focused on identifying and interpreting major deformation structures arising from both ductile and brittle deformation, including folds, faults, joints and veins. Exercises on Day 2 of the virtual field experience are focused on rock identification, the interpretation of palaeo-environment, and on geological contacts, including conformable, unconformable and faulted contacts. Observations and interpretations from both days enable students to develop a synthesis of the regional geological history of this part of the Lachlan Fold Belt

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Context

Audience

This virtual field experience has been used for second year undergraduate students, who have had only limited previous geological and field experience. It is part of a subject leading to the geology major.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

  • Identifying rock types - igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
  • Basics of rock deformation - including the factors that control deformation style (brittle or ductile) and the relationship between stress and strain
  • Interpretation of palaeo-environment for major sedimentary rock types
  • Description of major types of geological structure e.g., the geometry of folds
  • Conceptual knowledge of the dip and strike of planar geological features

How the activity is situated in the course

This exercise is used as an assessed stand-alone activity presented around two-thirds of the way through a combined structural geology and solid-earth geophysics subject.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Content/concepts goals

At the completion of this field experience students should:

  • Be able to describe and interpret deformation features in rocks (such as folds, joints, faults, veins and tectonic fabrics) at the macro- and meso-scale
  • Be able to describe and document sedimentological and stratigraphic features of rocks
  • Understand geological structures in three dimensions
  • Appreciate the complexity of deformation at different time and length scales
  • Have developed a basic understanding of the geology and tectonic evolution of central Victoria
  • Understand and practice develop basic risk assessment strategies as they apply to field work

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

At the completion of this field experience students should be able to:

  • Effectively communicate their ideas and observations
  • Adopt a problem-solving approach to new and unfamiliar tasks

Other skills goals for this activity

  • The activity could be used with small groups to develop teamwork skills
  • The activity will help students develop their writing skills (for the regional geological synthesis task)

Description and Teaching Materials

The files attached here are both a .docx and a .PDF of the entire virtual field activity. All images needed for the student activities are included in the document. The first page includes links (as both URLs and as QR codes) to the ThingLink maps on which the activities are based (and where additional images are available).