Record 2001/7: Regolith–Landform Resources of the Howatharra 1:50
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
RECORD REGOLITH–LANDFORM RESOURCES OF 2001/7 THE HOWATHARRA 1:50 000 SHEET by R. L. Langford GOVERNMENT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Record 2001/7 REGOLITH–LANDFORM RESOURCES OF THE HOWATHARRA 1:50 000 SHEET by R. L. Langford Perth 2001 MINISTER FOR STATE DEVELOPMENT; TOURISM; SMALL BUSINESS; GOLDFIELDS–ESPERANCE The Hon. Clive Brown MLA DIRECTOR GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY L. C. Ranford DIRECTOR, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Tim Griffin REFERENCE The recommended reference for this publication is: LANGFORD, R. L., 2001, Regolith–landform resources of the Howatharra 1:50 000 sheet: Western Australia Geological Survey, Record 2001/7, 61p. National Library of Australia Card Number and ISBN 0 7307 5693 9 Grid references in this publication refer to the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94). Locations mentioned in the text are referenced using Map Grid of Australia (MGA) coordinates, Zone 50. All locations are quoted to at least the nearest 5 m. Printed by Haymarket Print and Internet Services, Perth, Western Australia Copies available from: Information Centre Department of Minerals and Energy 100 Plain Street EAST PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6004 Telephone: (08) 9222 3459 Facsimile: (08) 9222 3444 This and other publications of the Geological Survey of Western Australia are available online through dme.bookshop at www.dme.wa.gov.au Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Location ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 Infrastructure....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Landuse................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 Climate ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Previous investigations ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Land systems methodology ............................................................................................................................... 6 Geology and geomorphology .......................................................................................................................... 6 Regolith–landform systems ............................................................................................................................. 10 Northampton System (No) .............................................................................................................................. 11 Moresby System (Mo) ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Casuarina System (Ca) ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Spearwood System (Sp) ................................................................................................................................... 27 Greenough System (Ge) .................................................................................................................................. 31 Greenough Alluvium System (Ga) ................................................................................................................ 35 Quindalup System (Qu) ................................................................................................................................... 38 Marine System (M) ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Mineral resource potential ............................................................................................................................... 48 Overview .................................................................................................................................................... 48 Ferruginous gravel .................................................................................................................................... 48 Sand............................................................................................................................................................. 48 Sand and gravel ......................................................................................................................................... 48 Limestone ................................................................................................................................................... 49 Limesand .................................................................................................................................................... 49 Common clay ............................................................................................................................................. 49 Stone ........................................................................................................................................................... 49 Titanium, zirconium, and garnet ............................................................................................................. 49 Base metals ................................................................................................................................................. 49 Hydrogeology............................................................................................................................................ 51 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 51 References ......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Appendices 1. Description of digital datasets ............................................................................................................... 54 2. Gazetteer of localities ............................................................................................................................. 55 3. Slope classification system ..................................................................................................................... 56 4. Grain-size ranges for field classification and particle-size determinations of regolith .................. 56 5. Mineral occurrence definitions ............................................................................................................. 57 6. Classification of rock material strength ................................................................................................ 61 Figures 1. Location of HOWATHARRA in Western Australia ....................................................................................... 2 2. Infrastructure and drainage ..................................................................................................................... 3 3. High-quality agricultural land................................................................................................................. 4 4. Interpreted onshore bedrock geology ................................................................................................... 6 5. Pebbly sandstone and conglomerate of the Cattamarra Coal Measures (Jc) exposed in a road cutting on the Chapman Valley Road ....................................................................................8 6. Hinged bivalve shell pair (Gresslya sanfordii) and other broken shells in ferruginized Newmarracarra Limestone....................................................................................................................... 9 7. Distribution of land systems .................................................................................................................. 10 8. Distribution of the Northampton System (No) .................................................................................... 11 9. Low hills and rises of the Northampton System (No) adjacent to the North West Coastal Highway ................................................................................................................ 11 10. Abundant exposures and exhumed corestones of fresh to moderately weathered granulite of the Northampton Complex ............................................................................................................... 14 iii 11. Stream bed exposures of a north-northeasterly trending fine-grained gabbro dyke cutting pegmatite and semipelitic to pelitic granulite of the Northampton Complex ................................