8c270596-aebd-4f15-82f7-63f172f6531d urn:uuid eng UTF-8 nonGeographicDataset nonGeographicDataset 2026-01-08T12:33:24 creation ISO 19115 2016 The ancient Murray River system 8c270596-aebd-4f15-82f7-63f172f6531d It has previously been suggested that an ancient Murray River once extended across the present line of the Mt Lofty Ranges, and emptied into Spencer Gulf. Evidence available from a comprehensive study of the Murray Basin shows that this is unlikely, at least during the Cainozoic. Sedimentation patterns reconstructed from several thousand borelogs suggest that a precursor to the modern river existed at least from the Eocene, but that this river emptied into the Murravian Gulf of the Southern Ocean at sites within the Murray Basin during periods of marine flooding, and at sites close to that of the modern mouth at times of lowered sea level. Precursor streams to most major tributaries of the Murray River have also existed since at least the Eocene, and drainage patterns reflect the combined influences of subtle tectonic movement of underlying shallow basement and eustatic overprinting. {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[133.41, -37.05], [141.54, -37.05], [141.54, -31.39], [133.41, -31.39], [133.41, -37.05]]]} 133.41 141.54 -37.05 -31.39 Earth Sciences GA Publication Journal Published_External SA Journal article (pdf) documentDigital Journal article (pdf) PDF Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML