Precambrian Tasmania: a thin-skinned Devil

Abstract

An interpretation of geological and geophysical data is presented to suggest that the Precambrian rocks of Tasmania comprise a series of Palaeozoic thrust slices embedded in the western part of the Lachlan Fold Belt and the eastern part of the Kanmantoo Fold Belt. This interpretation contrasts with previous interpretations which regarded the Precambrian rocks as the basement on which the Palaeozoic rocks formed. In western Tasmania, east- or west-facing thrusts and involving detached Precambrian blocks occur in discrete zones. West-facing thrusts only occur northwest of an axis from Elliott Bay in southwest Tasmania to Penguin in northern Tasmania. This thrust system overlaps an older east-facing system which becomes more intense eastward but which may be recognised across the entire island.