Yilgarn block
Quick Summary
The Yilgarn block is a geological region in Western Australia, characterized by its ancient, stable granite-gneiss shield, or craton. This area is similar to the Canadian Shield but has been weathered for approximately 250 million years. The Yilgarn block forms a gently undulating plateau, lying between 1,000 and 2,000 feet (300 to 600 metres) above sea level.1
To the east, it is bordered by the Nullarbor Plain, and to the west, it is separated from the coastal plain by the Darling Range. The southern part of the block rises to nearly 3,600 feet (1,096 metres) in the Stirling Range before dropping to the ocean, creating a rugged coastline. The Yilgarn plateau contains brackish and saline groundwater sources used for livestock.12
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PrecambrianOccurrence and distribution of Precambrian rocks…provinces in Canada; and the Yilgarn and Pilbara blocks in Western Australia. Linear belts, up to several thousand kilometres long, that are frequently though not exclusively of Proterozoic age include the Limpopo, Mozambique, and Damaran belts in Africa, the Labrador Trough
Read More…provinces in Canada; and the Yilgarn and Pilbara blocks in Western Australia. Linear belts, up to several thousand kilometres long, that are frequently though not exclusively of Proterozoic age include the Limpopo, Mozambique, and Damaran belts in Africa, the Labrador Trough
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PrecambrianStructure and occurrence of granulite-gneiss belts…Superior province of Canada; the Yilgarn block in Australia; and the Limpopo belt in southern Africa. They may be confined to small areas such as the Ancient Gneiss Complex of Swaziland, the Minnesota River valley and the Beartooth Mountains of the
Read More…Superior province of Canada; the Yilgarn block in Australia; and the Limpopo belt in southern Africa. They may be confined to small areas such as the Ancient Gneiss Complex of Swaziland, the Minnesota River valley and the Beartooth Mountains of the
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AustraliaTectonic framework…in shields, such as the Yilgarn and Pilbara blocks of the Western Shield, enclosed by later orogenic (mountain) belts. The second is as the basement to a younger cover of Phanerozoic sediment (deposited during the past 541 million years); for example, all the sedimentary basins west of the Tasman Line…
Read More…in shields, such as the Yilgarn and Pilbara blocks of the Western Shield, enclosed by later orogenic (mountain) belts. The second is as the basement to a younger cover of Phanerozoic sediment (deposited during the past 541 million years); for example, all the sedimentary basins west of the Tasman Line…
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Western AustraliaPlant and animal life…forests are found in the Yilgarn block. These consist of eucalypts, and there is an extremely rich understory. The dominant trees are jarrah (E. marginata), marri (E. calophylla), and the spectacular, tall (up to 275 feet [85 metres]) karri. These forests are protected in vast state reserves and in surface-water…
Read More…forests are found in the Yilgarn block. These consist of eucalypts, and there is an extremely rich understory. The dominant trees are jarrah (E. marginata), marri (E. calophylla), and the spectacular, tall (up to 275 feet [85 metres]) karri. These forests are protected in vast state reserves and in surface-water…
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Western AustraliaRelief…of Western Australia is the Yilgarn block, a stable granite-gneiss shield area, or craton, similar in many respects to the Canadian Shield. Unlike the Canadian Shield, however, the Western Australian craton has been subjected to weathering processes for some 250 million years. The gently undulating, weathered plateau of the Yilgarn…
Read More…of Western Australia is the Yilgarn block, a stable granite-gneiss shield area, or craton, similar in many respects to the Canadian Shield. Unlike the Canadian Shield, however, the Western Australian craton has been subjected to weathering processes for some 250 million years. The gently undulating, weathered plateau of the Yilgarn…
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