SBS 26 1992 Excursion
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NEWCASTLE HISTORY OF GEOLOGY EXCURSION Originally held 3 APRIL, 1992, for the 26th Newastle Symposium on Advances in the Study of the Sydney Basin David Branagan" and Claus Diessel .... "Department of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Sydney, N.S.W . .... Department of Geology, The University of Newcastle, N.S.W. INTRODUCTION This excursion pays homage to the pioneers of Australian geology, specially stratigraphy, which began to be studied in detail in the Newcastle region by many competent workers, such as Ludwig Leichhardt, who wrote" Ich bin iiberzeugt, dass die Geologie von Australien im allgemeinen von Newcastle ihren Anfang nehmen muss und dass der Geologe sich von hier aus schrittweise nach Norden, Siiden und Westen zu wenden habe." [ I am convinced that (the study of) the geology of Australia must begin at Newcastle, and that the geologist must work out steadily from here towards the north, south and west.] (Oct 12, 1842). The excursion visits sites where important early observations were made and hypotheses developed. It also discusses, in passing, some of the mining history, as the practical mining was both the result of geological observations and the source of new knowledge for continuing improvements in productivity and an understanding of the human environment in the Newcastle region. Enough information is provided so that the excursion can be undertaken independently. Although a car or cycle would enable the complete route to be followed as laid out, enterprising persons can visit most sites using public transport and on foot. EXCURSION ROUTE Fig.l shows the route followed in the excursion notes. Fig.2 is a generalised geological map of the region and Fig.3 is the generally accepted stratigraphic succession for the Newcastle Coalfield, although proposals for a revision of stratigraphic nomenclature and subdivision of the Newcastle Coal Measures are currently before the Standing Committee on Coalfield Geology of New South Wales. 1 2 lUll I : I .... <, ,0 " t ·; ' I . < •• ''''''''N " "" lur.n1tU ~ .., FIG.1 ROUTE MAP .~ < f'A]'::;\It!NEWCASTLE C"j. 0 SCALE _~y S ~~ _ . ~ _ Fr E3 Fd 1C Kms , '- A7I Mcrcw~thcr I REFERENCE OuaternCiry oil 0 D ~ / ~ r- 0. ~. .. : :' :".:: , Narrabeen Group Newcastle COill Measures g w !: Tomago Coal Measures 'J D !: Maitland Grot:p c:; a.. - Greta Coa / Measur'".1s ~• • ., Oa /wood Group o -- Seaham Formation ::lm..~ ---- .. Catherine Hill -c Peterson V01canics Bay o I: ~ "v I Undi fferenl iated \.L~ D-- . 'I· :.M" ::.-/.: ~ ...... ". FlG2 GElERAUSED GEOlOGICAL MAP .. .. :.. 1· ... '·:·. :.: ::.0·" 4 ,a. <<..:l II:z Valces PO,"' Cool Seam Member II:w MUflmorah <w Conglomerale Kaf,gnon Conglomerole Member Z(IJ Wollaroh 1,,11 Member WalJata/l Seam I Monncf ll'9.. Pork Tull Member U T oykley Co,;1 SC9m Member Bulr Po.,,1 Loal ~co'n Member w"-'" Calheflne HIli <D ::> FOfmalloll Terolba Conglomcroill' Member 00 Zoo G real Norlhern G,eol Northern T 1.111 Member .J"''-', Seam Awobo T ",II Member ~<1l ChOln Volley Cool Seom Member Z::> Eleebana O ~ Formallon 801l0n PO'"' Conglomerote Member 0 ::0 F ass, lem Seam "- C,ouc1ace Bay Belmonl CongiomeHlIe Member ::> FOfma'H)t1 0 a: '-', Uppel Pllul .')('am • ,Relds M,sl.ihf: Seohamp1on Sandstone Member ::J F Utf/lal IUtl V>'" 0 Lowe, Plio(Se.-"II VI 0 W II: .J'" ::J '"0 MI. Hullfi/l Vl 0 <i F OrllleJl 10/1 W '" k :.: I A/Jsttdliu:o'url Saau ,, ...J <i 0" U Aus Irol eu ,on - Manit os.e C Charll!"slown ConSl'omt'.",e Member r ::J r:(II11,,'flUFI Wove Hili Seom W ' ~ ~ '7 i Monllose T..,ff Member i, ~ MOII/'USt..· Scam .." J Whlleb .. dgC' CO" 9 ' u n-or,ale' Member J'L MOnl'QloC- Wove HoIl c{ ..r. K all/ball HoIlsbolough T vII Meon!,)e. J ~ Z Wave HIli Sed/II W I ~ Z t- T ,ngoro (0"910me,ol(' Member V> ' ::0 Fer" Vallcey Tull Mel'llbcl ""o Upper SpI,l <{ F Clfl V.IIH,')' Redhead Conglomerole' Member Lo .... e. Spl.t Me.e .... elher Conglomerate Memb'!, I KolalH FOIff!allUlI L Victoria Tuntlel a.. r SCrfm ~ r SI'e,Jflelds HIJI Fill. Nobbys T ull Member ~ i Nobbys Yaung Wallse·d S,.na' H." Can.'am .. a'o Mom.o. } } Soam l 8al Beach '-'~ i' Dudley Seal'll Cockle Creek Conglomerate Member Dudley Yord wo" Ba,ohalo ~ Bogey Hole Fm. Seam .... Yald So;,,. Seom o l71 gfles H," Fill. Ferndale Conglome.ate Member j ~ So/eho /a Seall ~ Wa,alall ~ 400 l Melres 8334 FIG.3 STRATlGRAPHIC SUCCESSION I of the Newcastle Coal Measures, redrawn and amended after McKenzie (1962). 5 Stop 1 Blackalls Park Stop 2 Threlkeld Reserve, Coal Point Stop 3 Snapper Point Stop 4 Catherine Hill Bay StopS Opencut, North of Catherine Hill Bay Stop 6 Caves Beach Lookout Stop 7 Swansea Heads Stop 8 Lambton Colliery Stop 9 Merewether Beach Stop 10 Shepherd's Hill Stop 11 Church & Brown Streets Stop 12 Bogey Hole, Watt Street Stop 13 Shortland Esplanade/ Nobbys Beach Depart Newcastle (University), travel via Highway 133 towards Toronto. This was the route travelled by Rev. W.B. Clarke (1842), Ludwig Leichhardt (1842), Edgeworth David (1889), Leo Jones (193Os), and many others, all interested in examining the coal seams and associated sedimentary rocks on the west side of Lake Macquarie. Pass, on the left, the lead-zinc-copper smelter of Pasminco Metals Sulphide, formerly Sulphide Corporation Pty Ltd. The sulphide works were established in the 1890s, by E.A. Ashcroft, to treat zinc-rich ores from Broken Hill by electrolytic refining. Sulphuric acid was produced from 1912, recovering sulphur dioxide from the stacks, which had previously been destroying vegetation on the adjacent hills. From 1913 it was using acid in fertilizer manufacture. Lead smelting ceased in 1922, and the company diversified, including cement manufacture (clay and coal from nearby, limestone from Attunga and shell beds on Hunter River). After World War II (under CRA) acid and fertilizer plants were modernised and new processes for zinc, lead and copper production were introduced (Turner, 1978). On right, across Cockle Creek, is Stockton Borehole Colliery. Continue south across the mouth of Cockle Creek. Turn right at traffic lights - Macquarie Road (to Fassifern ). [This road if taken right on Fassifern Road leads to Newstan Colliery ( on site of old Northumberland Colliery), established by the newly-formed Joint Coal Board in 1950, one of the first fully mechanised, trackless (i.e. no rails) collieries, using conveyor belts for haulage). 6 ....~ l G iii ~ j .&. ~ ~ ' . .:. ' I • III ~ ID \ .J ",\ \ I oJ - ~ ! . , , ,.. J ..;. I: ') . " ~ I ;~ ~ • .l ; ., J~;." , I \ I • ..... \il • ~ • 1 • : I.J ~ (J :"' , ..I " ... ..1, ~~ k~_. -- . < -,;' "":,~~ I , . , II~\ • - .... - - .- . \. \, ..; -\..., . "":.: ... : \ ,. .. .. '~y 7 Turn left on Fassifern Road, continue on South Parade left on Faucett Street, over old railway line and Bayview Ave. to the northern side of Blackalls Park. STOP 1. This is the most easily accessible spot to see the almost enclosed Fennel Bay, known to the Aborigines as Kurrar Kurran, because of the extraordinary fossil forest which formerly existed here. W.B. Clarke made a sketch of the site in August 1842 (reproduced in Fig.4) counting about 500 tree stumps and describing the site in detail, measuring the orientation of fallen logs and the dimensions of the various stumps. By the time of Edgeworth David's visit, and later publication (1907), many of the stumps had been souvenired. Sadly this practice has continued so that today there are only about thirty, visible at low tide. These are now protected by Heritage legislation (Percival, 1985). Both Clarke and David attributed the preservation of the logs to general subsidence and cover by muds. Diessel (1985), however, believes that the trees were overwhelmed by volcanic ash from a violent eruption (see also Stop 8). Leichhardt, on his expedition from Newcastle to Gosford and return along the coastline "to find out, if possible, if the coal of Newcastle is above or below the sandstone of Sydney", waded across the narrow entrance to the bay (the present bridge location) on his way to Coal Point. [Those wishing to have a closer look at the fossil site from where Clarke and David saw it should go back on Fassifern Road, take Narara Street and cross the abandoned railway to the lake shore (the status of the fenced land between the railway and the reservation on the shore is uncertain).] Travel by Railway Parade and Cook Street, left on Toronto Road, right at traffic light onto Highway 133, left on Excelsior Parade to Coal Point (signposted). Continue on Skye Point Road to Grant Road, right to Threlkeld Reserve on the south side of the peninsula. STOP 2. This is the site of the small mine opened (Figs.5 and 6) by the Rev. Lancelot Threlkeld in 1840. Threlkeld began mining hoping to support his financially troubled Aboriginal Mission, then at Toronto ("Ebenezer"). Threlkeld (1834) had published a dictionary of the local Aboriginal language which contains a surprisingly large number of terms for geological features in the region. Threlkeld began a drive at water-level into the Great Northern Seam (1.8m thick) which went in more than 30m, and a 13m deep air shaft was sunk. The coal was shipped onto lighters and taken to Sydney for sale, in direct ;,. %V/,0' 98 ~ / .. ~ I ~ fl fl #; o ... '? I,'vA., ~ ''''I''- ~ . -? r - " . I n ""c ::!! " /A "." f /. I "lp " .0,,'. 01 k ' IJf-,:',-" / // . , f f)p, D,,, {f ! L' / . 1-'1 1(,.,( " '</ ~u.. '--/ I' II ~~ 0/ /7/0~'7/ ,.' / ~ / / ' / I / / ,// /.' /// / / '/1.... )1/ .. .. '" . OB WOrked\ l)yRorl ,.fy (r'/'" / ~:7 \ [01.. ::.,'.:.. :.l L-J ~;?l" U' ::· .·.·'···· j·· Iii' ...... d. \t]~v, <l:' ~ I ,,' "; .. ;':"':\ .~:J!' ., /"0-. 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