Geological Guidebooks

Guidebooks produced by the Department of Mines and Energy include:

Rocks and Landscapes of the Chillagoe District

Chillagoe is remarkable for its spectacular landscape of jagged limestone towers, and its extensive cave systems. This individual character is enhanced by its mining origins and often controversial history, with interesting remains such as the smelter site.
As might be expected for a mining district, it has a complex geological history, and there are many rocks, minerals and landscapes in addition to the limestones to interest the visitor. This booklet aims to give a straightforward, non-technical explanation for visitors wanting a basic understanding of the geological framework of the district, and how the mineral deposits. and landscapes, have formed. Several routes are suggested along which typical examples of the rocks can be seen. Some geological terms may be unfamiliar, but the glossary at the end should assist.
The booklet concentrates on rocks other than the limestones, as details on these and their caves are available from leaflets published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the 'Chillagoe Souvenir Guide' by Les Pearson, and issues of Tower Karst, the journal of the Chillagoe Caving Club.
The geological history presented here differs somewhat from that previously assumed for the district, as it incorporates the findings from current on-going research by the Department of Mines in the region, some of which are yet to be published.

Rocks and Landscapes of the Cairns District (CD only)

Most people are naturally curious about the spectacular topography and scenery around Cairns, and how it was formed. To try to understand the processes involved however, we must look back in time many millions of years, to trace the ancient history of the rocks of the region, the geological events that have affected them, and subsequent processes of erosion.
This booklet is a brief non-technical guide to the geological history, the rocks themselves, and the development of the landscape. The influence of the geology on man's activities is also mentioned, and there descriptions of several routes where typical examples of the local rocks and landscapes features can be seen. A history of geological investigations in the Cairns district is included in Appendix A.
Some geological terms may be unfamiliar, but the glossary at the end should assist. Appendix B explains some of the concepts of measuring geological time. The Cairns Region 1:100 000 Geological Map and accompanying technical Map Commentary describe the geology in more detail.

Rocks and Landscapes of the Townsville District

The landscape of Townsville is an abrupt contrast between flat coastal lowlands, isolated mountain masses (Castle Hill, Mount Stuart and Mount Elliot) and the ramparts of the Hervey Range escarpment on the western horizon. These arouse our curiosity as to their formation - how and when did they develop? What natural forces came into play to produce them? To fully understand the processes involved, we must cast our minds back in time some hundreds of millions of years, to trace the ancient history of the rocks of the district, and the later geological events that have affected them, through to the present day.

This booklet briefly describes the geological history, the rocks, and the processes of landscape formation in the Townsville district. The area covered extends to about 50km from the city. The geological history of the general region begins about 600 million years ago, and moves through successively younger episodes of activity. Occurrences of useful rocks and minerals in the district are also mentioned, as is the influence of the geology on human activity. There are descriptions of several excursion routes where typical examples of rocks and landscape features can be seen.

The Ancient rocks of Carnarvon Gorge

Carnarvon Gorge is a major tourist attraction situated in the Carnarvon National Park. It features spectacular cliff and rock formations which form the framework for the region, and is also noted for its diverse flora, fauna, and cultural history. Visitors cannot help but be amazed at the grandeur of the cliffs, and wonder how such rock formations came about. But the formation of the cliffs is only a relatively recent event. The geological history of the area precedes their formation by hundreds of millions of years.

This booklet is a brief, relatively simple guide to this geological history, and to the contribution each phase has made to the present landscape. Also described are interesting geological features on the recognised walks in the Gorge, typical examples of the different rocks, both in the Park and in adjacent areas including the Arcadia Valley, with a guide to their location, and the economic geology of the area. Geological terms, which may be unfamiliar to some, are included in a glossary near the back of the booklet.

Twenty thousand years ago, ancestors of the Bidjara Tribe inhabited the Carnarvon Gorge. Although availability of food and water, and protection from the elements, would have played an important part in their presence, they undoubtedly also appreciated the beauty of their environment. Their contribution to the area is highlighted in the treasure trove of cave paintings to be found in the Gorge. In more recent times, pioneers and pastoralists became the main human occupants of the area. But this was not to last. The magnetism of the Gorge for bushwalkers, naturalists and tourists eventually dominated.

Apart from being a tourist destination. the Carnarvon Gorge is an educational arena for students, explorationists, and others, (including, of course, yourself!), wishing to gain a greater understanding of the complexities of the earth's history. Vast areas of Queensland contain rocks equivalent, in many ways, to those that can be seen at the surface in the Carnarvon Gorge-Arcadia Valley region, but which are buried beneath younger sediments and rocks. and can only be studied by expensive drilling and seismic surveys. The outcrops in this area provide an opportunity to study the variations in the sequence in detail, and gain a better understanding of similar sequences elsewhere that contain the State's vital resources of water, petroleum and coal. So as well of being of interest to 'non-geologists', this booklet is a valuable guide for all explorationists and students of geology visiting Carnarvon Gorge and nearby areas.

(If possible, the Miles Museum should be visited in conjunction with a visit to the Gorge and the reading of this booklet, to view the montage and detailed cross-section through the Bowen and Surat Basins on display there at the Great Artesian Basin Centre building).

Prices and purchasing

View the prices of these publications.

To purchase any of these guidebooks, print out the order form (PDF, 109 kB), or contact sales at +61 7 3237 1434.

 

 

 

Last Updated 12 November 2008