THE TOOWOOMBA - CHARLEVILLE LINEAMENT IN SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

Abstract

Recent structural studies have revealed the presence of a major linear feature which crosses southern Queensland in a west-northwesterly direction. This feature, designated the Toowoomba-Charleville Lineament, is thought to correspond to a zone of disturbance or discontinuity in the basement. As such, it has influenced basement relief and the evolution and configuration of the Surat, Adavale and northern Cooper Basins. The specific effects of the Toowoomba-Charleville Lineament are considered in conjunction with the well established Darling River Lineament with particular reference to the Surat Basin. The directions of these two continental features are parallel to major global trends, suggesting that they are part of a larger system which appears to be a fundamental pattern of dislocation in the earth's crust.