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Resolution of conflicting structures and deformation history of the Mount Aloysius granulite massif, western Musgrave Block, central Australia

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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The Mount Aloysius massif comprises complexly folded high-pressure Mesoproterozoic granulites, typical of those making up much of the western Musgrave Block. The granulites host the well-studied mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions of the Giles Complex, but up to now have not been mapped in detail. Previous lithological mapping and airphoto interpretation produced conflicting synformal and antiformal interpretations of the structure of the massif. New mapping reported here resolves this conflict, and shows that the massif preserves four episodes of folding. The first formed small, initially recumbent (now reclined), F1 folds, which are earlier than any previously known in the massif. Two major episodes formed a large west-inclined isoclinal, gently doubly plunging, F2 antiform, which was subsequently folded early in D3 to a steeply doubly plunging antiform and then bent late in D3 to an arcuate shape. With each episode, the intensity of deformation decreased, from isoclinal F1 folds with a strong axial-plane granoblastic-textured foliation to open F4* folds with spaced axial-plane cleavage and local greenschist retrogression, reflecting decreasing ductility as the rocks cooled. Formation of the F2 antiform was helped by the presence of a stiff buttress of relatively massive granulite in the east of the massif, against which well-layered granulite to the west was squashed and flattened. Subsequently, the same near-massive granulite provided a stiff auge-like core, around which the well-layered granulite was wrapped during D3.

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Title Resolution of conflicting structures and deformation history of the Mount Aloysius granulite massif, western Musgrave Block, central Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/2f31a933-dd6d-4f80-8a91-d6237e95ba12
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 20/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        126.5,
        -28.0
      ],
      [
        134.2,
        -28.0
      ],
      [
        134.2,
        -24.5
      ],
      [
        126.5,
        -24.5
      ],
      [
        126.5,
        -28.0
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Resolution of conflicting structures and deformation history of the Mount Aloysius granulite massif, western Musgrave Block, central Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/resolution-of-conflicting-structures-and-deformation-history-of-the-mount-aloysius-granulite-ma