The location of mines in Australia, in relation to the tectonic plates.?

Question

I have a science assignment where I need to find out stuff about mines in Australia, and the tectonic plates, otherwise known as fault lines. Yeah, it's pretty lame, but hey. But then I was thinking, hey, there aren't any tectonic plates in Australia are there? Can someone help?

Answer 1

There are mines in every state in Australia. A tectonic plate is not the same as a fault. A tectonic plate is a mobile area of the Earth's crust. Australia and India are on the same tectonic plate and the northward movement of this plate is the cause of the Himalayas. A fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust. There certainly are faults in Australia but as to their location in relation to any mines is a question for a geologist or one you should answer by doing some of your own research.

Answer 2

I can get you started.

Australia wasn't always a single continent in the center of a tectonic plate. It has some of the oldest rocks in the world, and a very complex geologic history. Way back some 2.5 billion years ago, there were 3 small cratons (mini-continents) that eventually rammed together to form the core of western Australia. Before they did, material was accreted around their margins--including some of the strata that became hosts for modern ore deposits (including banded iron formations, some of the hosts for gold, copper, lead, zinc, silver and uranium deposits.) Between 1.1 to 1.2 billion years ago there were intrusions carrying diamonds. Later, during the Paleozoic, there were island arcs (convergent plate boundary) in various places at various times. For example, porphyry copper-gold deposits are associated with the Ordovician Macquarie Arc.

Here are two urls that may help with the plate tectonics part of your research. If you find the location and geologic age of the ore bodies you wish to discuss, these sites may help you figure out the possible "tectonic setting"--islandarc, spreading ridge, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_his...

Next: go here and scroll down to the part about Australia and click on the different links about orogenies (mountain building events):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki Orogeny#Australian_orogenies

Some of these links have stuff about ore deposits(economic geology)--like these link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawler_Crat...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petermann_O...

Answer 3

Tectonic plates go all the way around.

In really basic terms; high levels of earthquakes, volcanos or mountains that are being pushed up (as opposed to eroded) and a split in the earth, that's an edge to a teutonc plate.

The Himalayas are a mountain range being pushed up as India moves something like 5 centimetres north per annum.

Around the Pacific rim there is a term called "The Ring of Fire" because of all the volcanos (Hawaii, Japan, NZ) which edge plate(s).

The San Andres fault (California) is the other edge of that plate.

Australia is dead centre of their plate.  

There are mines all around Australia...

Answer 4

You're correct, there are no techtonic fault lines in Australia

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tecto...

What do we mine? Mainly coal. Where? Read all about it here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_mining...