Holocene-Neogene volcanism in northeastern Australia: Chronology and eruption history

Abstract

Quaternary and late Neogene volcanism is widespread in northeastern Australia, producing at least 397 eruptions covering more than 20,000 km 2 , including at least 20 flows over 50 km long. Despite this abundance of young volcanism, before this study numerous eruptions had tentative ages or were undated, and the area requires a comprehensive evaluation of eruption patterns through time. To help address these issues we applied multi-collector ARGUS-V 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology to determine the age of four of the younger extensive flows: Undara (160 km long, 189 ± 4/4 ka; 2σ, with full analytical/external uncertainties), Murronga (40 km long, 153 ± 5/5 ka), Toomba (120 km long, 21 ± 3/3 ka), and Kinrara (55 km long, 7 ± 2/2 ka). Verbal traditions of the Gugu Badhun Aboriginal people contain features that may potentially describe the eruption of Kinrara. If the traditions do record this eruption, they would have been passed down for 230 ± 70 generations -a period of time exceeding the earliest written historical records. To further examine north Queensland volcanism through time we compiled a database of 337 ages, including 179 previously unpublished K-Ar and radiocarbon results. The compiled ages demonstrate that volcanic activity has occurred without major time breaks since at least 9 Ma. The greatest frequency of eruptions occurred in the last 2 Ma, with an average recurrence interval of <10-22 ka between eruptions. Activity was at at times likely more frequent than these calculations indicate, as the geochronologic dataset is incomplete, with undated eruptions, and intraplate volcanism is often episodic. The duration, frequency, and youthfulness of activity indicate that north Queensland volcanism should be considered as potentially still active, and there are now two confirmed areas of Holocene volcanism in eastern Australia -one at each end of the continent. More broadly, our data provides another example of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology applied to Holocene and latest Pleistocene mafic eruptions, further demonstrating that this method has the ability to examine eruptions and hazards at the youngest volcanoes on Earth.

Thermal Structure of Eastern Australia's Upper Mantle and Its Relationship to Cenozoic Volcanic Activity and Dynamic Topography

“… Note . Age ranges compiled from different studies (Cohen et al., 2008, 2013, 2017; Crossingham et al., 2017; 2018; Gibson, 2007; Gray & McDougall, 2009; Jones, 2018; Jones et al., 2017; Matchan & Phillips, 2014; Sutherland et al., 2012, 2014; Vasconcelos et al., 2008). Bracketed letters act as key for provinces labeled in Figure 1.…”

“… Topographic map of northern and central Queensland showing chronology of Cenozoic volcanic provinces (Cohen et al., 2017; Coventry et al., 1985; Gibson, 2007; Griffin & McDougall, 1975; Johnson, 1989; Jones et al., 2020; Stephenson & Griffith, 1976; Stephenson et al., 1998; Whitehead et al., 2007; Wyatt & Webb, 1970). Black polygons = surface expression of volcanism; circles/triangles = loci of age‐independent/‐progressive whole‐rock geochemical analyses; red/white fill = newly acquired/legacy data (Jones et al., 2020; O'Reilly & Zhang, 1995; Stephenson et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 2001).…”

Indigenous research methodologies in water management: learning from Australia and New Zealand for application on Kamilaroi country

“…Hamacher and Norris (2016) related known cosmic impacts and meteorite falls to Australian Aboriginal stories. Scientific investigations have confirmed Traditional Knowledge of Quaternary volcanism by the Gugu Badhun people in Queensland, Australia (Cohen et al 2017). Landscape features which feature in Indigenous stories have been identified beneath the sea at multiple locations around Australia, indicating that the stories pre-date the most recent period of post-glacial sea-level rise 7000 years ago, (Nunn and Reid 2016).…”

Excavating and interpreting ancestral action: Stories from the subsurface of Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea

“…Some recent studies – mostly in disciplines other than archaeology – have suggested that Indigenous oral traditions preserve deep-time knowledge of volcanic activity and climate change (see, e.g. Cohen et al., 2017; Nunn, 2018; papers in Picardi and Masse, 2007). Nunn and Reid (2016) have suggested that Australian Aboriginal oral traditions describe sea level rise events around Australia which occurred in the period 7,250 to 13,070 years cal.…”