Tectonic geomorphology of Australia

Abstract

The Australian continent is actively deforming in response to far-field stresses generated by plate boundary interactions and buoyancy forces associated with mantle dynamics. On the largest scale (several 10 3 km), the submergence of the northern continental shelf is driven by dynamic topography caused by mantle downwelling along the Indo-Pacific subduction system and accentuated by a regionally elevated geoid. The emergence of the southern shelf is attributed to the progressive movement of Australia away from a dynamic topography low. On the intermediate scale (several 10 2 km), low-amplitude (c. 100-200 m) long-wavelength (c. 100-300 km) topographic undulations are driven by (1) anomalous,..